7 published records
Business licenses and permits in St. Clair County, Illinois
St. Clair County, Illinois, seat Belleville, regulates businesses through three county offices. The St. Clair County Health Department issues retail food establishment permits, temporary food event permits and food plan review under the county food ordinance, which applies in the county townships the Health Department serves whether or not an establishment is inside a municipality; §19-4-2 states that the chapter "shall not apply to the four (4) townships served by the East Side Public Health District", which the Health Department's Food Safety page names as Canteen, Centreville, East St. Louis and Stites townships. The Health Department also registers private sewage disposal installation and pumping contractors operating within the county. For premises outside the corporate limits of any city, village or incorporated town, the Chairman of the County Board, as Local Liquor Control Commissioner, issues county retail liquor licenses, and the Building & Zoning Department issues certificates of zoning compliance under the Zoning Code, which applies to unzoned municipalities and to unincorporated properties other than Scott Air Force Base. The Building & Zoning Department issues building permits in unincorporated areas and, under contract, in East Carondelet, Fayetteville, Freeburg, Lenzburg, Marissa, Millstadt, New Athens and St. Libory. Belleville and the county's other cities and villages run their own business licensing, building permits and zoning, which stack on the county's health permits. The State retailer license from the Illinois Liquor Control Commission is required in addition to any county or municipal liquor license (Code §21-2-2). The population figure of 251,149 is the U.S. Census Bureau's vintage-2024 county estimate.
What are you opening in St. Clair 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 St. Clair County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Zoning Complianceonly if it applies to you | St. Clair County Building & Zoning Department | $30 per application, non-refundable | one year (Code §40-11-3); renewable for successive one-year periods on written request | 2026-10-24 |
| Commercial Building Permitonly if it applies to you | St. Clair County Building & Zoning Department | The fee is set by St. Clair County Code §7-1-50 according to the estimated cost of construction; contact the Building & Zoning Department at (618) 825-2528 for the amount for a specific project. | invalid 12 months after issue; the code official may grant one extension of up to 180 days | 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 St. Clair County?
Certificate of Zoning Compliance
Zoning Code §40-11-2 provides that no new use or structure may be established, and no existing use or structure enlarged, altered or put into operation, until a certificate of zoning compliance has been issued. Under §40-1-3 the Zoning Code applies to all unzoned municipalities and to all unincorporated properties in St. Clair County except those occupied by Scott Air Force Base. The Zoning Code's Schedule of Filing Fees (Ord. No. 18-1203) sets the application at $30, and the Building & Zoning Department page states "EFFECTIVE JANUARY 2020 ZONING COMPLIANCE LETTERS WILL HAVE A FEE OF $30.00." The department's Building Permits page lists the completed Application for Certificate of Zoning Compliance, with its $30 fee, among the items needed for a building permit. Initial certificates are valid for one year and may be renewed for successive one-year periods (§40-11-3).
Commercial Building Permit
The Building & Zoning Department issues building permits for commercial and industrial construction in unincorporated St. Clair County and, under contract, in East Carondelet, Fayetteville, Freeburg, Lenzburg, Marissa, Millstadt, New Athens and St. Libory. The department's Building Permits page states that a commercial or industrial permit requires one set of plans and specifications designed by an architect licensed and registered in the State of Illinois, with the seal on every sheet, and that a permit is invalid 12 months after it is issued, with one extension of up to 180 days. The fee for commercial and industrial construction is set by County Code §7-1-50 according to the estimated cost of construction, and the department's page directs applicants to Chapter 7 for the commercial and industrial fee schedule; contact the Building & Zoning Department at (618) 825-2528 for the amount for a given project. A business inside any other city or village applies to that municipality instead.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- County Code Chapter 40, Zoning Code (Schedule of Filing Fees, Ord. No. 18-1203)St. Clair County, Illinois · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
- Building & ZoningSt. Clair County, Illinois · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
- Building PermitsSt. Clair County Building & Zoning Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
- County Code Chapter 7, Building Regulations (Revised Effective May 1, 2017, Ord. 17-1161)St. Clair County, Illinois · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
Who issues business permits in St. Clair County?
Permitting in St. Clair 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.
St. Clair County issuing agencies
- St. Clair County Health Department, Environmental Health DivisionRetail food establishment permits, temporary food event permits and registrations, and food plan review in the county townships it serves, excluding Canteen, Centreville, East St. Louis and Stites townships (Code Chapter 19, Article IV) · Private sewage disposal installation and pumping contractor registration (Code Chapter 19, Article II)4 permits
- St. Clair County Building & Zoning DepartmentBuilding permits in unincorporated St. Clair County and in the eight municipalities that contract with the county for building inspections (Code Chapter 7) · Certificates of zoning compliance in unincorporated areas and unzoned municipalities (Zoning Code Chapter 40)2 permits
- St. Clair County Local Liquor Control Commissioner (Chairman of the County Board)County retail liquor licenses for premises outside the corporate limits of any city, village or incorporated town (Code Chapter 21); applications are filed with the County Clerk1 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.