Illinois Local Business, Insurance, and Government Resources

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Business Resources - Anything from getting a business license to finding funding

Local Insurance directory - Find local insurance brokers, agents, or companies

Government Contacts - Get in contact with each level of local government

Illinois Local Business Resources

To register a business in Illinois, first you must identify your business structure: sole proprietorship, LLC, partnership, or corporation. Once you have finalized the business structure, you can pursue the documentary requirements and the corresponding forms that must be filled out to complete the registration process. Sole proprietorship and partnerships do not require any organizational documents. Meanwhile, LLCs and corporations require Articles of Organization and Articles of Incorporation to be submitted to the Illinois Secretary of State, respectively.

The next step is to choose and register a name for your business. To earn the DBA (Doing Business As) certificate, you must check if the business name is already in use. If not, you must file the Application for Reservation of Business Name and pay the corresponding fee.

Then, you can pursue application for appropriate business licenses and permits (depending on your area). The licenses and permits will depend on the associated risks on the following areas:

· Health and safety

·Environment

· Building and construction

· Profession or occupation

· Other risks based on the industry or type of service

The tax registration is the next step in your business registration process in Illinois. The type of tax registration will also depend on the type of business you are in. You can find the appropriate form at the MyTax Illinois website.

Local Insurance Info, Agents, & Companies in Illinois

Local Homeowner Resources

Local Tenant/Landlord Resources

Government Contacts

The state of Illinois has more local government units (most with property-taxing power) than any other state in the country. As of 2002, there are a total of 102 counties, 1291, municipalities, and 1,431 townships in the state, along with 934 public school districts, and 3,145 special districts.

The history of county government in Illinois dates all the way back to 1778, when the state of Virginia claiming authority over the territory, established the first counties. Today, the major officers of the county are elected officials, from the county board chairman, chief administrative officer, circuit court clerk, state attorney, sheriff, coroner, treasurer, and school superintendents.

Cook County, which includes all of the city of Chicago and its suburbs, controls welfare programs and hospitals in the city. This spreads the city's own tax base and more affluent suburbs. Chicago is overseen by an elected mayor; alongside him are the city council (composed of 50 aldermen), treasurer, and clerk. Elected administrators and local judges hand the tax collection in townships.

Most small communities in the state are overseen by nonpartisan city managers, though some are led by elected mayors. Larger municipalities however are overseen by a mayor and council members.

See the main Illinois Page for county links.