More red-tape nonsense

[MSL]

So I'm getting ready to take my test soon, and I've gone and gotten my FEIN number, getting my DBA registered, and all that. I contacted my village about licensing since they just changed a bunch of ordinances a few months ago, and it looked like I was finally going to be on the winning side of government regulation for once, as they dropped most of the license fees for businesses in favor of simply having them "register" for $25 (instead of anywhere from $50-175 for the license).

But then when they found out I was planning on being self-employed and working from home they called me to tell me I had apparently missed a part in the code book about home-based businesses. I was FORBIDDEN from smithing locks, because only the following businesses are permitted to be operated from a home. Look at this list, because its freakin' amazing.

Art studio
Beauty parlor
Dressmaker
Professional offices of a clergyman, lawyer, physician, dentist, architect, engineer, or accountant
Teaching including musical instruments or dancing.

That's it. If I could've reached through the phone and strangled the person, I probably would've. I've spent thousands of dollars on books, training, and tools in the last year to try and learn a trade and make some money on the side. Only to find out that I'm only going to be granted a license if I change my business name to "Maximum Security Dressmaker". Holy crap, I'm about to lose my mind.

The fortunate thing is that I have a friend who will graciously allow me to use a junk filled section of his basement as my office, and the town he lives in doesn't believe in business Licenses for anything but bars and spam apparently. So I can just file my tax ID address there, but still, what an absolute pain in the balls Illinois is proving to be.

[silvfox1200]

It sure is nice to live in a free country. There is always some junk you have to put of with to make a legal living. I am in Texas and I have a FFL and If I wanted to work as a Locksmith, I would still have to go thru all the garbage to get a license for a Locksmith. Glad I am retired and only work when I want to. All under the table and no license.

[1mrchristopher]

Yay government! What a useless and ugly ordinance. One of my hobbies is sewing machine maintenance and repair, however, so if you do decide to go forward with Maximum Security Dressmaking, I'll hook you up with a few machines.

[Divinorum]

Man I completely feel your pain on this one. I too had a really unbelievable experience with my local government about licensing. It's incredible how they make all these rules and in their minds they are doing a good job when in reality they are incompetent and are just making the lives of the people miserable. Hang in there man I wish you the absolute best of luck.

[billdeserthills]

I might be tempted to call my business Lock Engineering, or mebbe even Architect Lock. Even Art's
Studio Locksmithing tho you may wanna change your first name to "Art". Can you dance? Cause The Dancing Locksmith sure hits a tune...

[hjlocks]

Well, the word engineer is fairly broad in scope. As long as you're designing something you intend to implement it should apply. I'd register it as a "Security Engineering Firm".

[2octops]

Are you going to be physically working at your house or just using it for office space?

If just office space, I know a lot of people that have gotten around the rules by registering their address as a PO Box instead of their physical address since they do not have customers visiting their location.

[jeffmoss26]

There is a hair studio locally called The Lock Smith

[MSL]

Fortunately good 'ol Joliet Illinois doesn't care a lot about licenses so I can run my business out there for free. And registering a business name in Will County Illinois is only $5. But to do it in my county (The people's communist republic of Cook County) its $50.

But hey, they all just ordinanced themselves out of my sales tax revenue and I'm sure Joliet is only too happy to take them.