Chicago business licenses, site by site, since 2002

Type a business name. 264,979 business sites in the City's license file read on October 2, 2026.

Leasing to a business or buying one? A dated license history report ($19) — or a whole list checked.

What this is

The City of Chicago publishes every business license application and renewal since 2002 — more than a million rows, one per application. This site reads them as a history: one record per business site, with the licenses current today, the business activities, the date of the first license, and how many records the site has accumulated.

Who uses it

• Landlords and buyers of a business — how long a site has been licensed, and for what.
• Suppliers and lenders — the licensed businesses of a ward or a neighborhood.
• Owners — your own record and its expiration.

What it is not

Not the City of Chicago, and not a license. Owners' names are in a separate City file that this site does not use. Liquor license detail, violations and inspections are other City records.

Browse

• Cities — 151
• Types — 52
• First license since July 2026 — 1,139
• Ward 1 — 1,135
• Ward 2 — 1,013
• Ward 3 — 590
• Ward 4 — 715
• Ward 5 — 410
• Ward 6 — 470
• Ward 7 — 234
• Ward 8 — 522
• Ward 9 — 305
• Ward 10 — 467
• Ward 11 — 993
• Ward 12 — 1,042
• Ward 13 — 519
• Ward 14 — 672
• Ward 15 — 470
• Ward 16 — 382
• Ward 17 — 311
• Ward 18 — 476
• Ward 19 — 498
• Ward 20 — 353
• Ward 21 — 487
• Ward 22 — 525
• Ward 23 — 526
• Ward 24 — 350
• Ward 25 — 1,066
• Ward 26 — 612
• Ward 27 — 1,961
• Ward 28 — 767
• Ward 29 — 545
• Ward 30 — 599
• Ward 31 — 724
• Ward 32 — 1,150
• Ward 33 — 755
• Ward 34 — 1,985
• Ward 35 — 755
• Ward 36 — 719
• Ward 37 — 542
• Ward 38 — 504
• Ward 39 — 739
• Ward 40 — 648
• Ward 41 — 804
• Ward 42 — 3,092
• Ward 43 — 844
• Ward 44 — 924
• Ward 45 — 813
• Ward 46 — 538
• Ward 47 — 1,116
• Ward 48 — 583
• Ward 49 — 479
• Ward 50 — 626