Chicago Business License Scraper

Overview

Scrapes business license data from the City of Chicago's Socrata SODA API. Supports filters (License Type, License Status).

Features

• Search by keywords to find specific results
• Filter results by category or type
• Export data in JSON, CSV, or Excel formats
• Control output volume with configurable result limits

Use Cases

• Track - Track state and local government data and permits
• Monitor - Monitor regulatory filings and public records
• Build - Build databases for civic tech and transparency projects
• Aggregate - Aggregate local government data for community research

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description	Default
maxItems	integer	Maximum number of records to return	1000
businessName	string	Search by business name (legal name or DBA). Supports partial matches.
licenseType	string	Filter by license description (e.g., 'Limited Business License', 'Retail Food')
licenseStatus	string	Filter by license status code: AAI (Active), AAC (Active - Conditional), REV ...
ward	string	Filter by Chicago ward number (1-50)
issuedAfter	string	Only include licenses issued after this date (YYYY-MM-DD format)

Output Example

Each result contains structured data like this:

{
  "title": "Sample Government - State/Local Result",
  "agency": "Department of Commerce",
  "date": "2025-01-15",
  "description": "Detailed description of the item...",
  "location": "San Francisco, CA",
  "documentUrl": "https://example.com/item/12345",
  "url": "https://example.com/item/12345"
}

Pricing

This actor uses pay-per-result pricing:

• $0.001 per result
• $1.00 per 1,000 results

No monthly fees. You only pay for what you scrape. Apify Free plan includes $5/month in platform credits.

How to Run

Apify Console

1. Go to the Chicago Business License Scraper actor page
2. Configure your input parameters
3. Click Start and wait for the results
4. Download data in JSON, CSV, or Excel format

API

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/fortuitous_pirate~chicago-business-licenses/runs?token=YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"maxItems": 10}'

Python SDK

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_API_TOKEN")
run = client.actor("fortuitous_pirate/chicago-business-licenses").call(
    run_input={"maxItems": 10}
)

for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

Integration

Connect Chicago Business License Scraper with your existing tools and workflows:

• API access - Programmatic access via Apify API
• Webhooks - Get notified when scraping completes
• Scheduling - Set up recurring runs on any schedule
• Zapier / Make - Connect with 5,000+ apps via Apify integrations
• Python / Node.js SDKs - Native client libraries for easy integration