Illinois Business Laws for Small Businesses

Illinois business laws are the statutes passed by the General Assembly and enforced by state agencies and courts. This level has four groups. Entity laws cover LLCs, corporations, partnerships and the medical and professional service corporations. Commercial and consumer laws cover the UCC, automatic renewals, contractor prompt payment, consumer fraud, deceptive trade practices and private schools. Employment and privacy laws cover wage payment, the Human Rights Act, workplace safety, non-competes and personal information. Tax laws cover the income tax and sales and use tax.

How Illinois law fits with the other levels

Illinois law can be broader than federal law. The Human Rights Act reaches employers with one or more employees (counted across 20 or more weeks for most claims), and the state minimum wage is $15.00 an hour in 2026 for employers with four or more employees, against the federal $7.25. Safety runs the other way: Illinois's own safety law covers public employers only, so private businesses answer to federal OSHA. Different state agencies handle different laws, which the who enforces what page lists.

What applies only in Cook County

The Cook County ordinances apply only to work, premises and licenses inside Cook County; see the Cook County hub. Naperville and Aurora sit in DuPage, Will, Kane and Kendall counties, not Cook. There the Illinois statutes, including the state Paid Leave for All Workers Act and the $15.00 minimum wage, are the main rules, although a village or city can have its own ordinance. Read the Illinois state page for tax context.