About business licenses
Summary
This section of EveryBlock publishes every new or renewed business license in Chicago as reported by the Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Licensing.
Where we get the data
The data is retrieved from the Business License Holders Search database published by the Chicago Department of Business Affairs & Licensing ("DBA", according to its parlance).
How often we get the data
The DBA updates its database every business day, and EveryBlock retrieves the data each night. Due to the way the DBA issues licenses, often very few licenses are added to the system each day. See below for further explanation.
About business licenses in general
The DBA publishes a Guide to Starting a Business (PDF), which covers the tax, filing, inspection and registration aspects of the process.
In general, business licenses must be renewed every two years. Renewal periods are based on the ZIP code of the initial location of the business. See the renewal periods listed by ZIP code. Please check your ZIP code to see when your license will expire.
This renewal structure explains why there is a large amount of licenses with the same issue date, with spikes on a quarterly basis.
On May 22, 2008, several property owners, developers, contractors and city inspectors were arrested on bribery charges after a federal probe of Chicago building permits. The defendants allegedly exchanged cash and other benefits related to various city building, zoning and related permit matters. For more, check out the U.S. Department of Justice's press release.
Links to each criminal complaint can be found here.