How to Obtain a Chauffeur License in Illinois: Requirements and Fees

Illinois does not issue a statewide chauffeur license. To drive a taxi, limousine, livery vehicle, pedicab, or ride-hail car in Chicago, you apply to the city’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) for a Public Chauffeur License. To drive a passenger vehicle designed to carry 16 or more people anywhere in the state, you also need a Commercial Driver’s License with a passenger endorsement from the Illinois Secretary of State. Most drivers searching for an “Illinois chauffeur license” need the Chicago credential, so start there.

Which License You Need

Chicago issues four categories of public chauffeur licenses, keyed to the vehicle or service:

Taxi Chauffeur License, to drive a licensed Chicago taxicab.
Livery/Restricted Public Chauffeur License, for limousines, livery vehicles, medical carriers, low-speed electric passenger vehicles, and certain charter or sightseeing buses.
Pedicab Chauffeur License, for pedicab operators.
TNP Chauffeur License, for ride-hail drivers with companies like Uber or Lyft. TNP drivers get this license through the affiliated ride-hail company rather than by applying directly to BACP.

All four are issued for a two-year term at a $40 fee.¹ If your charter or sightseeing bus is designed to carry 16 or more passengers including the driver, a CDL with passenger endorsement is required on top of the chauffeur license.²

Who Qualifies

You must be at least 21. You must have held a valid, permanent driver’s license issued by any U.S. state, district, or territory for at least one year, and that license cannot currently be suspended or revoked in any jurisdiction. Temporary licenses do not count.³

Your recent driving record and city standing matter. Three or more moving violations in the 12 months before you apply will disqualify you. You cannot owe any outstanding debt to the City of Chicago. You cannot have had a chauffeur license application denied within the past 12 months, and you cannot have had a chauffeur license revoked within the past three years.³

Criminal History That Disqualifies You

Chicago uses two lookback windows plus a set of permanent bars.

A three-year lookback blocks anyone convicted of, in custody for, or on parole or supervision for a forcible felony (murder, sexual assault, robbery, burglary, arson, kidnapping, aggravated battery, and similar offenses), drug or human trafficking, DUI or impaired driving, sexual offenses including criminal sexual assault and abuse, promoting prostitution, child pornography and stalking, unlawful use or possession of a weapon or firearm, arson, or racketeering and organized criminal activity.

A one-year lookback applies to non-forcible felonies, identity theft, forgery or counterfeiting, and theft of property valued over $1,000. The one-year clock runs from either the conviction date or the date of release from incarceration, whichever is later.³

Some bars are permanent. Anyone required to register as a sex offender, required to register as a violent offender against youth, sentenced to lifetime parole or supervision, or subject to an outstanding arrest warrant cannot get the license. Pending felony charges make you ineligible until final disposition. A minor cannabis conviction, on the other hand, will not disqualify you.³

Steps to Apply

New applicants apply in person at BACP’s Public Vehicle Operations Division, 2350 W. Ogden Avenue, Chicago. Bring a valid driver’s license. Several steps run in parallel with the visit.

Debt Clearance

Before the application moves forward, you need a debt clearance from the City of Chicago Department of Finance confirming you owe the city nothing. The check is requested by email and typically comes back within five to seven business days.⁴ Start this early.

Drug Test on a 24-Hour Clock

All new applicants must pass a drug test. BACP issues a Drug Test Authorization Form in person carrying your photo and fingerprints. You then have 24 hours to take that form to a BACP-approved testing facility. Miss the window and your application will be denied; you would need to start over.⁵ Plan the day at BACP so you can reach a testing site immediately after.

Physical Examination

A physical exam at a BACP-approved facility is required alongside the drug test, to confirm you are physically capable of safely operating a public passenger vehicle.⁵

Training Course and License Exam

You must complete a training course from a BACP-approved provider (the current list is on the BACP website and includes programs at City Colleges of Chicago) and then pass the BACP license examination. Both are prerequisites to issuance.³¹

Fees and Timeline

The license itself is $40 for two years.¹ Budget separately for the drug test, physical, and training course, which are paid to the providers, plus any background check and debt clearance costs. Total out-of-pocket usually runs a few hundred dollars.

Processing depends on how quickly you complete each step. For renewals submitted remotely, BACP quotes 14 business days after receiving a complete application.⁶ New applications take longer, particularly if the debt check or drug test results lag.

Renewing Your License

If you last renewed in person at 2350 W. Ogden, you can renew by email. You will need the renewal application form from the BACP website, a copy of your current chauffeur license, a copy of your valid driver’s license (front and back), and current court-purposes and supervision driving abstracts dated within 60 days of submission.⁶

You can start up to 60 days before your license expires. Renewal applicants must also pass a drug test.⁵ The renewal fee is $40.⁶

When You Also Need a CDL

The chauffeur license alone is not enough for a vehicle designed to carry 16 or more people, including yourself. That triggers a CDL with passenger endorsement from the Illinois Secretary of State.² Charter buses, sightseeing buses, and some large medical transport vehicles fall in this range.

To carry passengers or drive commercially in interstate commerce, you must be at least 21; intrastate non-passenger commercial driving allows 18. You need a valid Illinois driver’s license with more than one year before it expires, plus documentation of identity, date of birth, Social Security number, and Illinois residency.⁷

The CDL process begins with a Commercial Learner’s Permit, passed via a 30-question general knowledge test at 80 percent or better, with additional written tests for air brakes, passenger vehicles, or other endorsements. After holding the CLP at least 14 days, you take the skills tests: pre-trip inspection, basic control, and on-road driving, in a vehicle of the appropriate class with insurance and registration on hand.⁷

Federal Entry-Level Driver Training is required before the skills test if you are getting a Class A or Class B for the first time, upgrading Class B to Class A, or adding a passenger, school bus, or hazmat endorsement. Training must come from an FMCSA-registered provider that reports your completion electronically; paper certificates are not accepted.⁸

All CDL holders must maintain a current DOT medical certificate from a medical examiner listed on the FMCSA National Registry. Certificates are valid for up to 24 months, and shorter if a condition like high blood pressure needs monitoring.⁹ DOT exams typically run $85 to $225.

Illinois charges $50 for an original or renewal CLP. A CDL renewal or out-of-state transfer costs $60, or $50 at age 69 or older. Upgrades and endorsement changes are $5.¹⁰ ELDT tuition, the DOT physical, and any drug and alcohol testing are additional.

Driving for Hire Outside Chicago

Other Illinois municipalities may set their own for-hire driver rules, though none match Chicago’s process in scope. If you plan to drive for compensation outside Chicago, check with that city or county’s licensing office. Statewide, the only credential the Illinois Secretary of State issues for commercial passenger transport is the CDL with the correct endorsement; there is no state-issued chauffeur license.

Taxes for Chauffeurs Working as Independent Contractors

Driving for compensation creates tax obligations that surprise some new drivers. Ride-hail and many livery drivers are classified as independent contractors, which means self-employment tax on top of regular income tax. Plan on setting aside roughly 15.3 percent of net earnings for Social Security and Medicare, plus your income tax rate.

Vehicle expenses are deductible. For 2026, the IRS standard business mileage rate is 72.5 cents per mile. You can use the flat rate or track actual expenses (fuel, insurance, maintenance, depreciation), but if you own the vehicle, you must choose the standard mileage rate in the first year the car is available for business use. On a leased vehicle, starting with the standard mileage rate locks you in for the full lease.¹¹

Ride-hail platforms and other payment processors must send you a Form 1099-K if gross payments exceed $20,000 and you have more than 200 transactions in the year.¹² Even below that threshold, you still owe tax on what you earned. The 1099-K is a reporting rule for the platform, not a tax-free floor for the driver.

1
City of Chicago. Chicago Public Chauffeur Licenses
2
City of Chicago. Chicago Guide to Licensing Public Passenger Vehicles
3
American Legal Publishing. Chicago Municipal Code 9-104-050 License Qualifications
4
City of Chicago. Department of Finance Chauffeur License Debt Clearance Process
5
City of Chicago. General Information on Drug Testing and Physical Exam Certification
6
City of Chicago. Renew Public Chauffeur License Remotely
7
Illinois Secretary of State. Illinois CDL Guide
8
Illinois Secretary of State. Entry-Level Driver Training
9
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. DOT Medical Exam and Commercial Motor Vehicle Certification
10
Illinois Secretary of State. Illinois Secretary of State Basic Fees
11
Internal Revenue Service. IRS Sets 2026 Business Standard Mileage Rate at 72.5 Cents per Mile
12
Internal Revenue Service. IRS Issues FAQs on Form 1099-K Threshold