A Rushcrest Commercial Capital guide for Kankakee, Illinois businesses planning an expansion: what the Illinois Enterprise Zone Program is, which communities the two Kankakee County zones list, who administers them, and where zone questions fit in a funding request.
What the Illinois Enterprise Zone Program is
The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) describes the Enterprise Zone Program as designed to stimulate economic growth and neighborhood revitalization in designated areas through state and local tax incentives, regulatory relief and improved government services (dceo.illinois.gov, checked 2026-10-24). DCEO lists state incentives such as an exemption on retailers' occupation tax paid on building materials, and notes that each zone has a local zone administrator and offers its own local incentives.
The Village of Bourbonnais's enterprise zone page notes that the Illinois Enterprise Zone Act was signed into law on December 7, 1982, and that businesses must finalize an enterprise zone agreement, agree to retain or create jobs, and establish or expand a facility within a zone (villageofbourbonnais.com, checked 2026-10-24).
Kankakee County, IL Enterprise Zone: A Second Zone With Its Own Community List
DCEO's list of enterprise zone administrators shows two zones in the county. The Kankakee River Valley zone lists Aroma Park, Bourbonnais, Bradley, Herscher, Kankakee and Kankakee County. A separate Kankakee County zone lists Grant Park, Hopkins Park, Manteno, Momence and Kankakee County. Both list the same administrator's office in the Kankakee County Regional Planning Department, 189 East Court Street, Room 201, Kankakee.
Being in a listed community does not mean every address is inside a zone; zone boundaries are mapped parcel by parcel. DCEO publishes individual zone maps and an interactive Illinois enterprise zone map.
Kankakee River Valley Enterprise Zone: Records a Kankakee, IL Machine Shop Keeps for an Expansion
A machine shop planning an expansion inside a zone can keep the records a zone review and a lender both ask about: the project budget split between building materials, machinery and labor; current and planned employee counts; the building's address and parcel number; and the contractor's bids. Building materials matter because the state incentive DCEO lists is tied to them, and DCEO says a Certificate of Eligibility for Sales Tax Exemption comes from the local zone administrator of the zone where the materials will be used.
Kankakee County, IL had 28 fabricated metal product manufacturers, the group that includes machine shops, in 2023 (County Business Patterns, 2023).
Where the Kankakee River Valley Enterprise Zone Is Listed: DCEO and Kankakee County, IL Sources
- Illinois DCEO, Illinois Enterprise Zone Program page, with the enterprise zone listing, administrator contacts, maps and annual fee schedules (dceo.illinois.gov).
- Kankakee County Planning Department (k3county.net), whose Regional Planning Department office is the listed administrator address.
- Village of Bourbonnais enterprise zone page (villageofbourbonnais.com).
- Kankakee County economic development incentives page, which lists enterprise zones alongside opportunity zones, historic tax credits and TIF districts (kankakeecountyed.org).
All were checked on 2026-10-24. Program rules change; read the current pages and ask the administrator.
Questions for the Zone Administrator Before a Kankakee, IL Build-Out Loan Request
- Is the project address inside the zone boundary?
- Does the project need an enterprise zone agreement, and what does it ask the business to commit to?
- Which incentives might apply to the building materials, and how is the certificate obtained?
- Are there fees for the certificate or the agreement, and when are they paid?
- Does the timing of the certificate affect when materials can be bought?
Answers shape the project budget, and the budget shapes the funding request. Do not count an incentive in the budget until the administrator confirms it.
Other Kankakee County, IL incentive programs named alongside the zones
The Kankakee County economic development incentives page lists enterprise zones next to opportunity zones, historic tax credits, tax increment financing (TIF) districts and financing through the Will Kankakee Regional Development Authority. Bourbonnais lists a downtown TIF and an industrial TIF on its development pages. Each program has its own rules and its own office.
For a funding request, the practical point is the same for all of them: an incentive can lower a project's cost or add a requirement, such as a job commitment, but the lender still needs the full budget, the timeline and the business's own figures. List any incentive as pending until the program office confirms it in writing.
Kankakee County, IL had 109 manufacturing employers and 108 wholesale trade employers with paid staff in 2023 (County Business Patterns, 2023), two groups whose facility expansions these programs describe.
Where the enterprise zone fits in a Kankakee, IL funding request
A lender prices the project at its full cost. If an incentive later lowers the cost of building materials, the business pays less, but the request should not assume it. Equipment for the expansion is usually financed on its own; the building work may go on a term loan.
See business term loans, equipment financing and the zoning and building permits guide.
By Rushcrest Commercial Capital · Updated
