10 published records
Business licenses and permits in Madison County, Illinois
Madison County, Illinois, seat Edwardsville, regulates businesses at two levels. The Madison County Health Department, based in Wood River, permits food establishments, mobile food establishments and temporary food stands within the county (Code §55.15), inside cities and villages as well as in unincorporated areas, and reviews plans for new and extensively remodeled food businesses. For premises in unincorporated Madison County only, the Chairperson of the County Board, as Local Liquor Control Commissioner, issues county retail liquor licenses under Code Chapter 70, and the Building & Zoning Department, which administers the International Building Code for construction in the unincorporated areas, issues building and sign permits, certificates of zoning compliance and home occupation special use permits, and licenses private sewage disposal contractors. The County Clerk's Registering a Business page states: "BUSINESS LICENSES: Check with the local city or village clerk's office for any licensing requirements." The same page states: "ZONING APPROVAL: Any new business located in an unincorporated area of Madison County needs Zoning Approval by the County's Planning and Development department." Each city and village in the county runs its own licensing, building permits and zoning, which stack on the county's health permits. The State retailer liquor license from the Illinois Liquor Control Commission is required in addition to any county or municipal liquor license. The population figure of 263,017 is the U.S. Census Bureau's vintage-2024 county population estimate.
What are you opening in Madison County?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in Madison County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial/Industrial Building Permit (Unincorporated Madison County)only if it applies to you | Madison County Building & Zoning Department | Commercial/Industrial: $390.00 plus $.15 per sq. ft. from 3,000 to 100,000 sq. ft., plus $.08 per sq. ft. over 100,000 sq. ft.; plumbing inspection for new construction $60.00; electrical inspection for new construction $50.00 | per project | 2026-10-24 |
| Sign Permit (Unincorporated Madison County)only if it applies to you | Madison County Building & Zoning Department | $50.00 plus $.40 per sq. ft. over 25 sq. ft. | null and void if the work has not been completed within 90 days (Code §93.161(C)) | 2026-10-24 |
| Certificate of Zoning Compliance (Unincorporated Madison County)only if it applies to you | Madison County Building & Zoning Department | Applied for together with the building permit application (Code §93.164(A)); a separate amount for the certificate is not published in the Building Information Booklet or Code §93.164. Contact the Building & Zoning Department (618-296-4468). | issued within five county working days after an approved final inspection (Code §93.164(A)) | 2026-10-24 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in Madison County?
Commercial/Industrial Building Permit (Unincorporated Madison County)
The Building Permits page states that the Building & Zoning Department administers the International Building Code for construction in the unincorporated areas of Madison County. New commercial or industrial construction there is permitted on the department's Commercial Building application. The fee is $390.00 plus $.15 per square foot from 3,000 to 100,000 square feet, plus $.08 per square foot over 100,000 square feet, with a $60.00 plumbing inspection fee and a $50.00 electrical inspection fee for new construction, as published in the Building & Zoning Department's Building Information Booklet (revised 2026), Attachment D, linked from the department's Building Permits page. The booklet asks for plans and specifications sealed by an architect licensed and registered in Illinois, a recorded deed, truss designs and license numbers for plumbers, sewage installers and roofing contractors. Work inside a city or village is permitted by that municipality instead.
Sign Permit (Unincorporated Madison County)
Madison County Code §93.161(A) states: "No sign shall be erected, altered, or relocated without a permit issued by the Zoning Administrator," except as the zoning code otherwise provides, and §93.161(C) makes a sign permit null and void if the work has not been completed within 90 days. This applies to signs in unincorporated Madison County; the application is the department's Sign Permit Application, with a drawing of the sign. The fee for a sign or billboard permit is $50.00 plus $.40 per square foot over 25 square feet, as published in the Building & Zoning Department's Building Information Booklet (revised 2026), Attachment D, linked from the department's Building Permits page. A sign inside a city or village is permitted by that municipality.
Certificate of Zoning Compliance (Unincorporated Madison County)
Madison County Code §93.164(A) provides that no land shall be occupied or used, and no building erected, altered or extended shall be used or changed in use, until the Zoning Administrator has issued a certificate of zoning compliance stating that the zoning classification, building location and proposed use comply with the zoning code. For a new building or the reconstruction or alteration of an existing building, the compliance permit is applied for at the same time as the building permit, and the certificate is issued within five county working days after an approved final inspection. Under §93.164(B), a nonconforming structure or use may not be extended, changed in use or substantially altered without one. The County Clerk's Registering a Business page states that any new business located in an unincorporated area needs zoning approval from the county's Planning and Development department.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Building Information Booklet REVISED 2026Madison County Building and Zoning Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
- Building PermitsMadison County Planning and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
- Commercial Building Permit ApplicationMadison County Planning and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
- Permits & InspectionsMadison County Planning and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
- Madison County Code §93.161 (sign permits)Madison County, Illinois (American Legal Publishing codification) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
- Sign Permit ApplicationMadison County Planning and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
- Madison County Code §93.164 (certificate of zoning compliance)Madison County, Illinois (American Legal Publishing codification) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
- Registering a BusinessMadison County Clerk · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
Who issues business permits in Madison County?
Permitting in Madison County is split across 3 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
Madison County issuing agencies
- Madison County Building & Zoning DepartmentBuilding, plumbing and electrical inspections, and sign permits for construction in unincorporated Madison County · Certificates of zoning compliance and home occupation special use permits under the zoning code (Code Chapter 93), and private sewage disposal contractor licenses5 permits
- Madison County Health Department, Environmental HealthFood establishment, mobile food establishment, commissary and temporary food establishment permits within Madison County (Code Chapter 55) · Plan review for new and extensively remodeled food businesses4 permits
- Madison County Local Liquor Control CommissionerCounty retail liquor licenses (Classes A to E) for premises in the territory of the county outside the corporate limits of any city, village or incorporated town (Code Chapter 70); the Chairperson of the County Board is the Local Liquor Control Commissioner1 permit
Other Illinois jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.