The Chicago Small Business Center (SBC) is the business licensing and permitting division of the City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) and the City's one-stop-shop for business licensing, public way use permitting and other resources to start and grow your business.
| Website | https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/chicago-business-licensing/home.html |
| Address | 121 North LaSalle Street, 8th Floor, Room 800, Chicago, IL 60602 |
| Phone | (312) 744-6249 |
| businesslicense@cityofchicago.org | |
| Service area | Chicago |
| Serves | Small businesses / entrepreneurs |
Every service below comes with a passage taken word for word from the organisation's own website, and the link to the page that carries it. That is the directory's guarantee: nothing is published without its source.
BACP's Small Business Center is the City's one-stop-shop for business licensing, public way use permitting, and other resources to start and grow a business, staffed by Business Consultants who serve customers on a first-come first-served basis.
The Chicago Small Business Center (SBC) is the business licensing and permitting division of the City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP)
BACP issues permits for business fixtures on, over, or under the public way, such as signs, canopies, awnings, and lighting.
Items associated with a business that are on, over, or under the public way such as signs, canopies, awnings, and lighting require a BACP permit.
BACP issues City of Chicago Liquor Licenses and conducts the associated debt checks, background checks, and premises inspections required to sell liquor in Chicago.
You must have a City of Chicago Liquor License to sell liquor. There are different types of liquor licenses required for different activities.
BACP regulates short-term residential rental activity in Chicago and provides registration for shared housing units.
Short-term residential rental activity is regulated by BACP. Use this link for information on how to register your residence as a shared housing unit.
BACP issues public vehicle licenses covering taxicabs, Transportation Network Providers, charter buses, chauffeurs, and other public vehicles.
Information on licenses issued by BACP for taxicabs, Transportation Network Providers, charter buses, chauffeurs, and other public vehicles.
BACP hosts recurring free webinars covering business licensing, marketing, business planning, technology, and financial resources for entrepreneurs.
BACP's free business education webinars are held every Wednesday afternoon and Friday morning on topics such as business licensing, marketing, business planning, technology, financial resources, and more.
BACP's CBC initiative funds eight regional delegate agencies that provide one-on-one, no-cost business licensing, public way use permitting, and funding-referral consultations in historically underserved neighborhoods.
The Chicago Business Centers (CBC) Program is a City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) initiative to fill the current gap in local business resources
A BACP initiative to revitalize commercial corridors in Austin, Belmont Cragin, and West Garfield Park, assisting businesses impacted by the 2023 and 2024 summer storms and filling vacant storefronts.
The Neighborhood Retail Activation Program is a new initiative aimed at revitalizing commercial corridors in Austin, Belmont Cragin, and West Garfield Park.
BACP's program supports urban growers with access to land, resources to build long-term growing sites, and technical support.
Reducing the barriers to urban agriculture by supporting urban growers with access to land, resources to build long-term sites, and technical support.
ARP-funded BACP programs designed to ensure a strong economic recovery for Chicago's small business community.
Programs designed to ensure a strong recovery for the small business community.
BACP-funded technical assistance and capacity building services for disproportionately impacted nonprofits to help stabilize and scale operations.
Technical assistance and capacity building services for disproportionately impacted nonprofits, helping to stabilize and scale their operations.
BACP funds entrepreneurs in the food ecosystem and local food incubators as part of its food equity economic recovery programming.
Programs focused on increasing food equity in communities with a history of disinvestment by providing funds to entrepreneurs who are part of the food ecosystem and funding local food incubators.
BACP's Better Business Team offers proactive, non-disciplinary consultations, including requestable phone calls or visits from a BACP investigator, to help business owners understand and adhere to City regulations.
Providing businesses with the tools and knowledge needed to navigate regulatory requirements successfully.
A free BACP program requiring attendance at six webinars across business categories (inspections, operations/licensing, finance, legal, marketing, technology) to earn a certificate; graduates may qualify for a CIBC partner loan or college credit.
The Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) Entrepreneur Certificate Program is a free program for anyone interested in starting or growing a business in Chicago to gain knowledge across various essential business topics.
BACP funds a network of 65 nonprofit business service organizations that deliver confidential 1-on-1 advising, technical assistance, workshops, access-to-capital help, and networking to Chicago entrepreneurs and business owners.
The NBDC Program consists of 65 local business service organizations that provide no-cost hyper-local business development assistance to entrepreneurs and business owners throughout the city.
A BACP/CDOT collaboration that permits sidewalk cafes, full street closures, and curb lane closures so restaurants and bars can operate outdoor dining spaces.
Chicago’s Outdoor Dining Program reimagines outdoor dining spaces across the city.
BACP investigators will conduct an informational site visit to advise a business on how to stay compliant with City regulations.
You can request a visit by City Business Compliance Investigators to advise you on how to remain compliant with City business regulations.