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Business Registration

Letter of Intent to Occupy 
Submitting a completed Letter of Intent (LOI) form is the first step in the review, approval and Business Registration process. The LOI provides the Building Division with information about the type of business you will be operating so that it may be determined whether the proposed business use conforms to the zoning district regulations. In addition, the LOI process will also let you know the condition of the building what building permits may be needed for planned interior or exterior changes to the property.

After you submit your completed LOI to the Building Division, you will be contacted to schedule the required City inspections for compliance with the following codes: fire and life-safety, commercial building, electrical, HVAC and plumbing. 

After the inspection, the Fire Department and Building Division will issue an inspection report to the tenant and the property owner specifying requirements, if any, which must be met before a Certificate of Occupancy can be issued. Any required work is the responsibility of the property owner or tenant. 

Building permits are required for all construction. For information regarding building permits, please contact the Building Division at 847.432.0808. 

One of the elements of obtaining a Certificate of Occupancy is a signed and stamped statement of maximum occupancy load from an architect.  If the maximum occupancy load has been established previously for a unit, the fire department will determine based on the business use and construction changes if the previous Certificate of Occupancy can be used.

Once you receive your Certificate of Occupancy you may register your business with the Office of Business Development.

Business Registration
Every business located in a commercially zoned building, including not-for-profit entities, is required to register. Each year after the initial registration, business owners are required to update business information and pay an annual fee of $35. Not-for-profit entities must update their business information but are not required to pay an annual fee.  Please note, the business registration fee has been waived in 2021 for all businesses under 7000 square feet.

To register, please complete the Business Registration Form and submit it along with your Certificate of Occupancy and the associated fee to the Office of Economic Development. 

The information obtained from the application will assist the City in its efforts to establish future economic development and public infrastructure plans, jointly market City businesses and disseminate information of critical interest to the local business community in a timely fashion. 

Business registration is not for the purpose of licensing or regulation. Please note that the information obtained from your application will only be used for official City business and will not be made available except as expressly required by law. For more information regarding business registration, please contact the Office of Economic Development at 847.926.1027.