City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs & Consumer Protection

The Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) licenses, educates, regulates and empowers Chicago businesses to grow and succeed as well as, receives and processes consumer complaints.     The Small Business Center (SBC) is the business licensing division of the City of Chicago’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) and the City’s “one-stop-shop”  for business licensing, public way use permitting, and connecting entrepreneurs to business resources.   The Small Business Center 'On the Road' Expos are a series of free expos in various locations citywide offering business resources on financing, licensing, tax laws and business networking for new and existing businesses looking to start or grow their business in the City.   BACP offers free  Business Education Workshops every Wednesday and Friday. The workshops are open to the public and hosted at City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St. in Room 805. Workshop topics focus on start-up operations, financing, marketing, social media and more. Classes are taught by industry professionals, not for profit agencies, and city employees. The workshops are open to the public and hosted at City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St. in Room 805.