News
January 21, 2010 :: Business, Legislative
City Council Passes Several Business Ordinances
The following proposals were passed at the Wednesday, January 19, 2010 meeting of the Chicago City Council:
Sign Amnesty
http://www.chicityclerk.com/legislation/sublegmatters/2009/dec16/Mayors/PO2009-8375.pdf
- Create a 6-month amnesty on fees for sign permits, zoning review and public way use permits
- Waive any open citations going through administrative hearings
- Aamnesty begins 4/15/10 and ends 10/12/10
License Renewal and Fees
http://www.chicityclerk.com/legislation/sublegmatters/2009/dec16/Mayors/PO2009-8374.pdf
- Extend the life of certain licenses to either two or four years depending on the type of license
- If your total license fees are in excess of $1,000, then you cna pay the cost over a two-year time period
- Effective 120 days after passage and publication, so will begin mid-June 2010
Public Way Use Permits
http://www.chicityclerk.com/legislation/sublegmatters/2009/dec16/Mayors/PO2009-8373.pdf
- Bundles any three of the following permits and sets the fee for the bundle at $175 (signs less than 25 sq. feet, canopies, awnings and light fixtures)
- Eliminates the fee for some permits, although if your fee has been eliminated, they will charge a $50 "application fee"
- Eliminates the permit fees for things hanging over the public way on landmarked buildings as long as the structure is part of the landmark designation
- Effective mid-February
Head Tax
http://www.chicityclerk.com/legislation/sublegmatters/2009/dec16/Mayors/PO2009-8382.pdf
- Temporarily eliminates the head tax for new hires over the next two years
- No increase in the head tax from your 2009 level for the next two years.