16 published records
Business licenses and permits in Will County, Illinois
Will County, Illinois, seat Joliet, regulates businesses at two levels. The Will County Health Department applies its Food Establishment Sanitation Ordinance and Public Swimming Facility Ordinance across the whole county, inside cities and villages as well as in unincorporated areas, so food establishment, retail food, mobile, temporary and vending permits, food plan review, public pool licenses and well permits come from the county wherever a business sits. The County Executive, who is the county's Liquor Control Commissioner, licenses liquor sales, video gaming terminals and tobacco retailers for premises in unincorporated Will County, and the Land Use Department issues building permits and contractor registrations for unincorporated areas. The Division of Transportation issues access permits for any site that takes access from a county highway, wherever the property sits. The County Executive's Licenses page states that the County Executive issues the Raffle, Poker Run, Liquor, Solicitor and Tobacco licenses. Joliet, the county seat, and every other city and village in the county runs its own business licensing, building permits and zoning, which stack on the county's health permits. The State retailer liquor license from the Illinois Liquor Control Commission (235 ILCS 5/5-3) is required in addition to any county or municipal liquor license. The population figure of 708,583 is the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 estimate.
What are you opening in Will 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 Will County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water Well Permitonly if it applies to you | Will County Health Department — Division of Environmental Health | Well or closed-loop well system permit $100; well inspection $100; reissued permit $25; variance $50; abandonment/sealing $80 | per project | 2026-10-07 |
| County Highway Access Permitonly if it applies to you | Will County Division of Transportation | $50–$4,500 non-refundable application fee per access: agricultural $50; minimum $300; minor $450; major access $2,500 (no highway improvement required) or $4,500 (highway improvement required); designated freeway by access type; temporary access $450; right-of-way alteration $450; extension of any permit $100 | per access permit | 2026-10-07 |
| Commercial Building Permit (Alteration, Tenant Build-out, New Commercial, Change of Use)only if it applies to you | Will County Land Use Department — Building Division | $200–$5,800 per permit: commercial alteration or tenant build-out under 500 sq ft $1,000, 500–999 sq ft $1,300, 1,000–1,999 sq ft $1,600, over 2,000 to 2,999 sq ft $1,900, over 3,000 sq ft $2,200 plus $100 per 1,000 sq ft or fraction; new commercial under 1,500 sq ft $1,800, 1,500–2,999 $2,800, 3,000–3,999 $3,800, 4,000–4,999 $4,800, over 5,000 sq ft $5,800 plus $200 per additional 1,000 sq ft; change of use permit $200; commercial demolition $300; public swimming pool $500; additional inspection $75; fees doubled for work done without a permit; commercial plan review billed separately by the county's third-party reviewer | per project | 2026-10-07 |
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 Will County?
Water Well Permit
A business served by a private well rather than a public water supply needs a Health Department permit to construct a well or closed-loop well system. Appendix A of the Water Well Permit and Water Supply Ordinance (Ord. 16-209, adopted July 21, 2016), as codified in County Code Chapter 53 and as posted on the Health Department's Ordinances page, sets $100 for the well or closed-loop well system permit and $100 for the well inspection, $25 for a reissued permit, $50 for a variance and $80 for abandonment or sealing. A business on a public water supply without a private well has no well permit.
County Highway Access Permit
A business that builds or changes a driveway or access road onto a county highway needs an access permit from the Will County Division of Transportation. Code §56.023 applies the chapter to all access to and use of county highway right-of-way, including any land in any township or municipality located partially or entirely within the county, and §56.032 has the County Engineer set the fees in the Technical Reference Manual. Chapter 11 of the Manual, revised April 15, 2026, sets non-refundable application fees of $50 for agricultural access, $300 for minimum access (single-family driveways and field entrances of no more than 20 trips a day), $450 for minor access (no more than 50 trips a day), and for major access (more than 50 trips a day) $2,500 where no highway improvement is required or $4,500 where one is. Temporary access and right-of-way alteration are $450 each, and an extension of any permit is $100. Major access fees are payable with the first engineering plan submittal, and a pre-application meeting is required for every major access permit. The Access Permits page lists the same figures.
Commercial Building Permit (Alteration, Tenant Build-out, New Commercial, Change of Use)
In unincorporated Will County the Land Use Department's Building Division issues building permits through its SmartGov online portal. A commercial alteration or tenant build-out costs $1,000 under 500 square feet, $1,300 for 500 to 999, $1,600 for 1,000 to 1,999, $1,900 for over 2,000 to 2,999 and $2,200 over 3,000 square feet plus $100 for every 1,000 square feet or fraction. New commercial construction costs $1,800 under 1,500 square feet, $2,800 for 1,500 to 2,999, $3,800 for 3,000 to 3,999, $4,800 for 4,000 to 4,999 and $5,800 over 5,000 square feet plus $200 for every additional 1,000 square feet. A change of use permit (to determine commercial remodel parameters) is $200, demolition of a commercial structure $300, a public swimming pool $500 and an additional inspection after a second failed inspection $75; fees are doubled for work done without a permit. Figures are per Will County Code §158.02 (Building Fee Schedule, Am. Ord. 21-102, passed August 19, 2021), which the Land Use Department's Building page links as its "Building Permit Fee Schedule". The Building page states: "Industrial/ Commercial plan review fees set by third-party review company", and §158.02(C) provides that third-party review costs are borne by the owner. A food establishment also needs Health Department plan approval before the building permit issues. Inside a city or village the municipality issues building permits instead.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Will County Code Chapter 53, Appendix A (water well fees)Will County, Illinois (American Legal Publishing codification) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
- Water Well Permit and Water Supply Ordinance (Ord. 16-209, adopted July 21, 2016)Will County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
- OrdinancesWill County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
- WCDOT Technical Reference Manual (revised April 15, 2026), Chapter 11 Fee ScheduleWill County Division of Transportation · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
- Permit and Access Control Regulations Ordinance (County Code ch. 56, adopted September 21, 2023)Will County Division of Transportation · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
- Access PermitsWill County Division of Transportation · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
- Will County Code §158.02 Building Fee Schedule (Am. Ord. 21-102, passed August 19, 2021)Will County, Illinois (American Legal Publishing codification) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
- BuildingWill County Land Use Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
Who issues business permits in Will County?
Permitting in Will County is split across 5 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.
Will County issuing agencies
- Will County Health Department — Division of Environmental HealthFood establishment, retail food store, mobile unit, temporary, multiple-location temporary and vending machine permits and food plan review under the Food Establishment Sanitation Ordinance (County Code ch. 114), countywide · Public swimming facility and bathing beach licenses under the Public Swimming Facility Ordinance (County Code ch. 97), countywide · Water well permits under the Water Well Permit and Water Supply Ordinance (County Code ch. 53)8 permits
- Will County Executive (Liquor Control Commissioner)County liquor licenses for premises in unincorporated Will County (County Code ch. 110); the County Executive is the Liquor Control Commissioner · Video gaming licenses and the per-terminal fee in unincorporated Will County · Retail tobacco product licenses in unincorporated Will County (County Code ch. 120) · Solicitor (peddler, hawker, itinerant merchant and transient vendor) licenses (County Code ch. 113)4 permits
- Will County Land Use Department — Building DivisionBuilding, change of use and demolition permits in unincorporated Will County (County Code §158.02) · Contractor registration under the Contractors Registration, Bonding & Insurance Ordinance (County Code ch. 117)2 permits
- Will County Animal Protection ServicesCounty rabies registration tags and receipt of rabies vaccination certificates from veterinarians (510 ILCS 5/8)1 permit
- Will County Division of TransportationAccess permits for driveways and access roads onto county highways (County Code ch. 56, Permit and Access Control Regulations Ordinance; Technical Reference Manual)1 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.