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Business Registration
Welcome to the City of Evanston’s Business Registration portal. Whether you are launching a new venture, renewing your annual registration, or updating your business details, you can manage your account entirely online.
1. New Business Registration
Required for all for-profit businesses, non-profits, and home-based occupations operating within city limits.
⚠️ Warning: A business cannot open until the registration process is complete and you have received a Certificate of Occupancy or passed a Business Registration Inspection with the Fire Department.
- Note: If your business involves food sales, service, or storage, please apply for a Food Establishment License instead.
- Annual business registration fees for brick and mortar businesses is $75
- Home-based and non-profit businesses are not charged for registration
2. Renew Existing Registration
All businesses must renew their registration annually by April 1.
- All registered businesses will receive an email notification with instructions to renew their registration and instructions for submitting the annual $75 business registration fee.
- Late Fee Warning: Operating without a current license is subject to a $500 daily fine.
3. Update Business Information
Select this option to update ownership, business address, or related details.
- Sign in to your Citizen Portal account.
- Applicants should select the “change” option under application type.
- Note: Address and/or ownership changes require a new business registration application and may require a new Business Registration Inspection.
Peddlers, Solicitors & Mobile Vendors
For businesses operating without a fixed location (e.g., food trucks, door-to-door sales, street vendors).
Note: "Peddling" (selling on the street) and "Soliciting" (door-to-door sales) are regulated differently than standard businesses.
License Types
|
Type |
Description |
Department |
|
Mobile Food Vendor |
Food trucks, pushcarts, or bicycle vendors. |
|
|
Peddler, Solicitor, or Street Musicians |
Selling of any goods, wares, or merchandise Door-to-door sales or canvassing. |
Economic Development via 311 Request |
|
Tag Day |
Non-profits soliciting funds on public ways. |
City Clerk |
Rules & Restrictions
See the peddler and solicitor municipal code for more information.
All businesses operating for-profit, including those licensed under a State or Federal Law and home-based occupations, within the City limits must register their business with the City of Evanston.
Each place of business must have its own registration. The following business types must register to do business within the City regardless of where the physical headquarters of the business is located: pickup and delivery of laundry or dry cleaning at dwelling units, and garbage or refuse pickup.
The Evanston Business Registry serves many purposes, including:
Providing valuable economic data about the City, which is used to foster the continued success and growth of Evanston businesses.
Allows the City to identify types of businesses that are needed and would be successful in Evanston.
Enables the City to ensure a safe working and shopping environment for employees and patrons alike through tracking of businesses and periodic Fire, Mechanical, Structural, Electrical and Plumbing inspections.
Funds collected help to defray the cost of economic development programs such as parking structures and ensuring the roads are in good condition so that businesses are easily accessible.
Liquor, cigarette and tobacco and alarm licenses do not constitute business registration.
Registration may be revoked for failure to comply with any City Ordinances, Federal or State Laws and failure to allow a required inspection.
A business operating without a license is subject to a $500 fine for each day the business operates without a license.
The Evanston Business Registration permits an individual or entity to engage in business activities for a profit within the City of Evanston, and is required to conduct such a business within city limits. Registration must be renewed annually by April 1. A "business" is defined under ordinance 135-O-99 as "Any individual or entity 'doing,' 'conducting,' 'engaging in,' 'maintaining,' 'operating,' 'carrying on' or 'managing' a business, occupation or activity.
The Illinois Secretary of State processes applications for corporations and partnerships.
