Gold Coast ✶ Streeterville ✶ Lincoln Park ✶ Old Town ✶ Clybourn Corridor ✶ River North
New Businesses
As your Alderman, I strive to ensure that 2nd Ward businesses have every opportunity to thrive and be positive contributors to their communities. Since I took office in May 2015, over 2,000 new business licenses have been issued in the 2nd Ward - great news for the economic health and vibrancy of our ward!
As one of the few wards that service the Central Business District, my office has a staffer exclusively dedicated to business issues. The 2nd Ward Director of Business Affairs works with prospective business owners and reviews permit applications to confirm compliance prior to submission to the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP).
If you are considering opening a business in the 2nd Ward and would like to meet with me and/or my staff to discuss your business plan, please fill out the 2nd Ward New Business Checklist and submit it to office@aldermanhopkins.com
BACP Small Business Center
The Small Business Center (SBC) is the business licensing division of the City of Chicago’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP). The SBC is the City’s “one-stop-shop” for business licensing, public way use permitting and connecting entrepreneurs to business resources. SBC Business Consultants assist current and future small business owners with the following:
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Business start-up and expansion
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Business license applications and changes to renewal
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Public Way Use applications and permitting
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Zoning information
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Guidance and assistance to all City business processes
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Assistance to schedule licensing re-inspections
To schedule an appointment with an SBC Business Consultant, call 312-74-GOBIZ (744-6249). For more information on the services offered by the SBC, visit their website.