Business license · Illinois

Does Your LLC Need a Business License in Illinois?

The short answer. We have not confirmed whether Illinois requires a general state business license, so do not assume it does not; check Illinois Business Information Center. Your local government may also require its own license.

Illinois Business License at a Glance

General state business license	Not confirmed
City or county licenses	Local governments may require one (see Local licenses)
Trade and professional licenses	Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation

Read from the government sources listed at the foot of this page, last checked September 30, 2026. See the sources.

Does Illinois Require a State Business License?

We have not confirmed whether Illinois requires a general state business license, so do not assume it does not; check Illinois Business Information Center.

Illinois's own guide to business licenses and permits is Illinois Business Information Center.

City and County Business Licenses

Illinois' state business guide says cities, villages and counties may require licenses or permits, and lists general business licenses among the common local requirements. Chicago has its own business license, which it requires for most business types.

Professional and Trade Licenses

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation is the main state licensing agency for most professions, and other state agencies regulate particular industries, such as the Department of Public Health for food service and the Department of Children and Family Services for child care. Look up Illinois license requirements.

Our verified guides for specific trades in this state:

See trade and business license requirements by state for every trade we cover.

Other Illinois Registrations to Check

Illinois articles of organization, the filing that creates the LLC itself.
Illinois Certificate of Registration, for a business that sells taxable goods or services.
Illinois resale certificate, to buy inventory for resale without paying tax on it.
How to get an EIN, the federal tax ID most LLCs need to open a bank account or hire.

Frequently Asked Questions

: We have not confirmed whether Illinois requires a general state business license, so do not assume it does not; check Illinois Business Information Center.
: Illinois' state business guide says cities, villages and counties may require licenses or permits, and lists general business licenses among the common local requirements. Chicago has its own business license, which it requires for most business types.
: The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation is the main state licensing agency for most professions, and other state agencies regulate particular industries, such as the Department of Public Health for food service and the Department of Children and Family Services for child care.

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. It reports what each state's law and agencies say about a general state business license, with the sources this page cites. It cannot tell you which licenses your own business needs: that turns on what the business does, where it operates, and what its city or county requires, and fees and exemptions change between our reviews. Confirm your own position with the state agency named on this page, the city or county where the business is located, and any state board that licenses your trade before you open.

Sources

Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified Illinois sources, and each entry says what the document is. Some statutory text is read from an accurate mirror rather than from the state's own host, and those say so.

dceo.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/dceo/smallbizassistance/beginhere/documents/starting-your-business-handbook-2026.pdfIllinois DCEO, Starting Your Business in Illinois Guide (2026)
dceo.illinois.gov/smallbizassistance/beginhere/stepbystepguide.htmlIllinois DCEO, Step by Step Guide to Starting a Business in Illinois
dceo.illinois.gov/smallbizassistance/beginhere.htmlIllinois DCEO, Small Business Centers, Programs and Resources
idfpr.illinois.govIllinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation

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Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC

Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.