Liquor License Look-up Feature to Go Public with the New Year

CHICAGO -- As part of Governor Quinn's "Transparency Initiative" to make more information available online, the Illinois Liquor Control Commission (ILCC) will go ‘live' with its "License Validation Look-Up System" just in time for the New Year.  By clicking on the Liquor Control Commission's website, patrons, neighbors and other interested parties will be able to check the status of a liquor license, the business name and the people who are listed as the owners of any licensed bar, restaurant or off-premises liquor store.

"We're pleased to be able to offer Illinoisans this important information in a way that is user-friendly and practically instantaneous," said Lainie Krozel, Executive Director, ILCC.  "We've been able to provide information about licenses in the past but, through the hard work of our staff, we are now able to provide our licensing data quickly to any interested party."

The "License Validation Look-Up System" will allow people to search for any of the almost 28,000 businesses licensed to sell liquor in Illinois, including almost 14,000 licensed bars, taverns, restaurants or liquor stores in any county in Illinois, as well as distributors, importers, winery shippers and special event operators.  Users can search for a liquor license using various search options such as business name, county, city, street name and/or number, or zip code.  Users can also search by entering all or part of the name of a licensee or owner.

People interested in obtaining a license to sell liquor in Illinois can also find application information and forms on the website.  The ILCC licensing division works directly with new licensees and those renewing their licenses.  They review state liquor applications and issue more than 200 new and 2,000 renewal state liquor licenses every month. There are 29 different license categories including airplanes, trains, liquor stores, non-beverage users, out-of-state distributors, special events, non-resident dealers, national and foreign licensing, and brand registration.

The ILCC website also makes information available about licensees who violate various laws and regulations.  Interested parties can find monthly reports noting the results of its ongoing efforts to deter sales of alcoholic beverages to under-age customers.  And, the Commission orders regarding disciplinary actions and monetary fines against violators are available on the ILCC website.