# Chicago Business License Search - New Business Leads (`pink_comic/chicago-business-license-search`) Actor

Search Chicago's 52k active business licenses from the City of Chicago data portal. Find newly issued licenses by activity, license type, ZIP, ward or neighborhood. Get legal name, DBA, address, activity and dates.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/pink_comic/chicago-business-license-search.md
- **Developed by:** [Ava Torres](https://apify.com/pink_comic) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Business, Agents
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.00 / 1,000 business license results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Chicago Business License Search - New Business Leads

Search the **City of Chicago's active business licenses** (about 52k current licenses) from the official data.cityofchicago.org publication, refreshed daily. Pull **newly issued licenses** for lead generation or look up any business by name, license or account number.

Each result includes:

- legal name and **DBA**
- license number, license ID, account and site number
- license type (Retail Food, Limited Business, Tavern, Public Place of Amusement...) and **business activity**
- application type (**ISSUE = new business**, RENEW, location change, expansion)
- **date issued**, license start and expiration dates
- address, ZIP, ward, community area, neighborhood, latitude and longitude

Results are newest issue date first. No API key, no CAPTCHA. Pricing: **$0.002 per license + $0.0001 start**.

```json
{ "applicationTypes": ["ISSUE"], "issuedAfter": "2026-10-01", "licenseDescriptions": ["Retail Food"], "maxResults": 200 }
```

```json
{ "names": ["coffee"], "zipCodes": ["60622"] }
```

### Use cases

New-business lead generation for POS, payments, insurance, food suppliers, cleaning, signage and marketing; competitive mapping by neighborhood; KYB checks on a Chicago business.

### Limits

Active licenses only; no phone or email is published. Confirm with the [City of Chicago license lookup](https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/bacp/supp_info/business_licenselookup.html). Names are matched as substrings.

### Related

- [Illinois Professional License Search](https://apify.com/pink_comic/illinois-professional-license-search)
- [Restaurant Health Inspections](https://apify.com/pink_comic/restaurant-health-inspections)
- [Business Entity Search (multi-state)](https://apify.com/pink_comic/us-business-entity-search)

# Actor input Schema

## `query` (type: `string`):

Quick single legal name or DBA search (contains match). Leave blank for the newest licenses.

## `names` (type: `array`):

Legal names or DBAs, contains match, case-insensitive.

## `issuedAfter` (type: `string`):

Optional YYYY-MM-DD. Use a recent date for newly licensed businesses.

## `applicationTypes` (type: `array`):

'ISSUE' = new license, 'RENEW' = renewal, 'C_LOC' = location change, 'C_EXPA' = expansion.

## `licenseDescriptions` (type: `array`):

Contains match, e.g. 'Retail Food Establishment', 'Limited Business License', 'Tavern', 'Consumption on Premises', 'Public Place of Amusement', 'Home Occupation'.

## `businessActivities` (type: `array`):

Contains match on business activity, e.g. 'restaurant', 'salon', 'contractor', 'retail sales'.

## `zipCodes` (type: `array`):

ZIP code or prefix, e.g. '60614'.

## `wards` (type: `array`):

Chicago ward numbers, e.g. '42'.

## `neighborhoods` (type: `array`):

e.g. 'LINCOLN PARK', 'LOOP', 'WEST TOWN'.

## `licenseNumbers` (type: `array`):

Exact license numbers.

## `accountNumbers` (type: `array`):

Exact BACP account numbers (all licenses of one business).

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Maximum total paid dataset items, split across search terms. The default returns 10 licenses (about $0.0201 including the start event).

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "query": "",
  "names": [],
  "issuedAfter": "",
  "applicationTypes": [],
  "licenseDescriptions": [],
  "businessActivities": [],
  "zipCodes": [],
  "wards": [],
  "neighborhoods": [],
  "licenseNumbers": [],
  "accountNumbers": [],
  "maxResults": 10
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

Dataset items.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "query": "",
    "names": [],
    "issuedAfter": "",
    "applicationTypes": [],
    "licenseDescriptions": [],
    "businessActivities": [],
    "zipCodes": [],
    "wards": [],
    "neighborhoods": [],
    "licenseNumbers": [],
    "accountNumbers": [],
    "maxResults": 10
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("pink_comic/chicago-business-license-search").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "query": "",
    "names": [],
    "issuedAfter": "",
    "applicationTypes": [],
    "licenseDescriptions": [],
    "businessActivities": [],
    "zipCodes": [],
    "wards": [],
    "neighborhoods": [],
    "licenseNumbers": [],
    "accountNumbers": [],
    "maxResults": 10,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("pink_comic/chicago-business-license-search").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "query": "",
  "names": [],
  "issuedAfter": "",
  "applicationTypes": [],
  "licenseDescriptions": [],
  "businessActivities": [],
  "zipCodes": [],
  "wards": [],
  "neighborhoods": [],
  "licenseNumbers": [],
  "accountNumbers": [],
  "maxResults": 10
}' |
apify call pink_comic/chicago-business-license-search --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,pink_comic/chicago-business-license-search"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/jwwwgWps1Z1Gac1HR/builds/6XbBwKQRU5ndka9Nv/openapi.json