Buying, selling, or leasing commercial property in Palatine? Jason Bitton is the #1 RE/MAX Commercial broker in Illinois — serving Palatine and the northwest Chicago suburbs from nearby Libertyville — working the Rand Road and Northwest Highway corridors and downtown Palatine's transit-oriented core firsthand.
Palatine is a major northwest Cook County commercial market built around the Rand Road (US-12) big-box corridor, the Northwest Highway (US-14) diagonal, and a nationally recognized downtown transit-oriented development anchored by its Metra station. The village actively courts redevelopment — including a Targeted Development Zone along Northwest Highway — making it a market with both established retail demand and value-add upside across retail, office, and industrial.
Palatine holds 24,039 jobs inside village limits. That is the daytime population a commercial tenant actually draws from — a different, and for commercial purposes more useful, number than the residential count most listings quote.
The village itself counts 66,293 residents in 27,303 households, with a median household income of $97,819 (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD LODES8 2023 (workplace area characteristics). Figures count jobs located in Palatine, not residents. Updated annually.
Palatine sorts commercial property into B-series business districts, a B-4 Office-Research district, and a Manufacturing District. Matching your use to the right one — before you sign an LOI — keeps a northwest-suburban opening on schedule. Here is how the common uses generally map.
Use mappings vary by specific district and use, so confirm any address directly against the village code before you commit — or use the Commercial Zoning Lookup and tell Jason what you're trying to open.
The purpose of the B-1 Shopping Center District is to provide for retail shopping and financial services within a unified shopping center. (Appendix A - Zoning, Section 11.02.)
Permitted by right: Accountant’sand tax consultant offices, Antique shops; of refurbished and refinished materials, Appliance stores, Art supply stores, Automotive accessory stores; including but not limited to batteries, tires, engine parts; but not including on-site repair of autos or replacement of sold items, Bakeries; manufacturing of goods limited to those retailed on the premises, Banks and/or financial institutions, Barber shops, Beauty parlors, Book and stationery stores, Building materials and supplies; provided that no outdoor storage of such products shall be permitted, Camera and photographic supply stores, Candy, confectionery and ice cream stores; with no on -site manufacturing of goods, Card shops, Carpet and rug stores, China and glassware stores, Clothes and costume rental agencies, Clothing and apparel stores, Compatible uses; per procedure and standards listed in section 11.01( f) of this ordinance, Currency exchanges, Dance Studios, Department stores and variety stores, Drapery stores, Dressmaking and millinery shops, Dry goods and variety stores; textiles, clothing and related articles of trade, Electronic communications equipment sales, Florists, Furniture stores, Furrier shops, Gift shops, Hardware stores, Health Clubs which are3,000 square feet or less, Hearing aid stores, Hobby shops; for retailing of items to be assembled or uses away from the premises, Home supply centers, Insurance agencies, Jewelry stores (including watch repair), Leather goods and luggage stores, Linoleum and tile stores, Medical appliance stores, Mixed uses; combination of economically compatible permitted uses listed above, Municipal parking lots, Musical instrument sales, Notion stores, Office supply stores, Offices-business, professional or governmental, Opticians sales; retail, Paint and wallpaper stores, Parking lots; for private self-propelled passenger vehicles, Pet shops, Pharmacies, Picture framing, Post office sub-stations, Prerecorded Audio or Video Sales or Rental, Prerecorded music sales; any medium, Railroad passenger station, Restaurants (without a drive-through or a local liquor license, and do not operate between 12:00 AM and 6 AM), Second hand thrift shops, Sewing machine sales and service; household machines only, Shoe stores, Sporting goods stores, Tanning Salons, Temporary buildings; on the premises for construction purposes for a period not to exceed the duration of such construction, Temporary uses of special events; for a period not to exceed seventy -two (72) hours; as approved by the Village Council at least ten (10) days before the event, Ticket agencies; amusement, Toy stores, Travel agencies, bureaus and transportation ticket offices, Village Operated Facilities
Special use approval required: Automobile diagnostic center and repair; when part of a department store and without the disbursement of fossil fuels or other forms of energy or material that assists automobile movement, Automobile service station and mart; within a unified center for disbursement of fossil fuels or other forms of energy or material that assists automobile movement, without repair, Banquet and meeting facility; with or without another use, includes the service of food, liquor and live entertainment, Bowling alleys, Bus stations; provided that direct access to a major or secondary thoroughfare is available, Car rental facilities, Communication devices; which exceed the height limitations set forth for business districts, Day care facility, Drive-Thru, Dry Cleaners, Fencing; in any front yard except for:, Food stores, grocery stores, meat markets and frozen foods, Gold and Silver dealers (as defined within Division 16 of the Palatine Code of Ordinances), whose gross business receipts result in 20% or more from the purchase of gold or silver, Laundries; Launderettes, Liquor Stores; package stores only, Live entertainment, Martial arts schools, Montessori schools, Movie theatres; indoor, Offices: Medical and dental, including, but not limited to physicians, surgeons and dentists, Physical and health services; includes health clubs greater than3,000 square feet, swimming pools, and masseuses, Public service facilities; including electric distributing sub-stations, telephone exchanges and similar non-municipal uses, Restaurants (with a drive-through or a local liquor license, or operate between 12:00 AM and 6 AM), School office buildings; not including the parking or storage of buses, Taverns or bars, Taxicab Dispatching Office Facility, Tobacco Shops and electronic cigarette stores, Unique or new uses; not listed within this ordinance; provided that the use complies with the intent of the B-1 District, Wind energy conversion systems
The purpose of the B-2 General Business District is to provide areas for business establishments which offer retail convenience goods and services to residents located in the general vicinity of the district. (Appendix A - Zoning, Section 11.03.)
Permitted by right: Accountant’sand tax consultant offices, Antique shops; of refurbished and refinished materials, Appliance stores and repair; household, Art supply stores, Artist studios, Automotive sales; for the sale of new and used automobiles and including auxiliary service and repairs in conjunction with, if conducted wholly within a completely enclosed building, on not less than one acre, Bakeries; manufacturing of goods limited to those retailed on the premises, Banks and financial institutions, Barber shops, Baseball academy, Beauty parlors, Beauty schools; when the service of a beauty parlor is offered to the public, Bicycle sales and repair shops, not including motorized bicycles, Blueprinting and photostating establishments, Book and stationery stores, Building materials, Business machine sales and service, Camera and photographic supply stores, Candy, confectionery and ice cream stores; with no on -site manufacturing of goods, Card shops, Carpet and rug stores; including the cleaning of such items, with fire department approval of all utilized cleaning agents, Catalog stores, China and glassware stores, Clothes and apparel stores, Clothes and costume rental agencies, Clothing repair stores; including tailoring, shoe and hat repair, Coin and stamp stores, Compatible uses; per procedure and standards listed in section 11.01( f) of this ordinance, Currency exchanges, Dancing schools and studios; with instruction and sound to be totally confined inside the subject building, Drapery stores, Dressmaking and millinery shops, Dry good stores; textiles, clothing and related articles of trade, Electronic communications equipment sales; including television and radio repair of such items, Florists, Furnace supplies and service, Furniture stores, Furrier shops, Gift shops, Hardware stores, Health Clubs which are3,000 square feet or less, Hearing aid stores, Hobby shops, Home supply centers, Insurance agencies, Interior decorating and upholstering shops, Jewelry stores, Laundries; launderettes, Leather goods and luggage stores, Linoleum and tile stores, Locksmith, Machinery; small motorized sales and service, Medical appliance stores, Mini-parcel service; with maximum square footage of two thousand (2,000) square feet, Mixed uses; combination of economically compatible permitted uses listed above, Monument sales, Municipal parking lots, Musical instruction, Musical instrument sales, Newspaper distribution agencies, Notion stores, Office supply stores, Offices, newspapers, Offices: Business, professional or governmental, Optician sales; retail, Paint and wallpaper stores, Parking lots; for private self-propelled passenger vehicles, Pet shops, Pharmacies, Photographic studios, Picture framing, Post offices or sub-stations, Pre-recorded audio or video sales or rental, Printing, lithographing or publishing establishments; for letter press, business cards, mimeographing and any other similar custom service, Railroad passenger station, Restaurants (without a drive-through or a local liquor license, and do not operate between 12:00 AM and 6 AM), Sales and service of the following items; with a retail showroom:, Second hand thrift shops, Sewing machine sales and service; household machines only, Shoe stores, Sporting goods stores, Swimming pool sales and service, Tanning Salons, Taxidermists, Temporary buildings; on the premises for construction purposes for a period not to exceed the duration of such construction, Temporary uses of special events; for a period not to exceed seventy -two (72) hours; as approved by the Village Council at least ten (10) days before the event, Ticket agencies; amusement, Toy stores, Travel agencies, bureaus and transportation ticket offices, Village Operated Facilities
Special use approval required: Animal hospitals and kennels, Automobile diagnostic center and repair; when part of a department store and without the disbursement of fossil fuels or other forms of energy or material that assists automobile movement, Automobile laundries; provided adequate reservoir space for fueling of autos is furnished and provided traffic congestion is minimized, Automobile service and repair; where automobiles are painted, repaired, rebuilt, reconstructed or stored for compensation, Automobile service station and mart; for disbursement of fossil fuels or other forms of energy or material that assists automobile movement and retail sale of other items without on-site consumption of food or repair, Automobile service stations; for disbursement of fossil fuels or other forms of energy or material that assists automobile movement, with repair, Automotive sales; for the sale of used automobiles and including auxiliary service and repairs in conjunction with, if conducted wholly within a completely enclosed building, on not less than one acre, Banquet and meeting facility; with or without another use, includes the serving of food, liquor and live entertainment, Bowling alleys, Bus stations; provided that direct access to a major or secondary thoroughfare is available, Car rental facilities, Communication devices; which exceed the height limitations set forth for business districts, Day care facility, Drive-Thru, Dry Cleaners, Dwelling units, accessory, Fencing; in any front yard except for:, Food stores, grocery stores, meat markets and frozen foods, Gold and Silver dealers (as defined within Division 16 of the Palatine Code of Ordinances), whose gross business receipts result in 20% or more from the purchase of gold or silver, Homeless day facility, Hotels, Extended Stay Hotels, and Motels, Indoor sports and recreational facilities, Laboratories, research, experimental and testing; for testing and research, including medical and dental, Liquor Stores; package stores only, Live entertainment, Martial arts schools, Movie theatres; indoor, Offices: Medical and dental, including, but not limited to physicians, surgeons and dentists, Physical and health services; includes health clubs greater than3,000 square feet, swimming pools, and masseuses, Public community center, Public service facilities; including electric distributing sub-stations, telephone exchanges and similar non-municipal uses, Restaurants (with a drive-through or a local liquor license, or operate between 12:00 AM and 6 AM), School office buildings; not including the parking or storage of buses, Taverns or bars, Tobacco Shops and electronic cigarette stores, Trailer rental, Truck rental, Undertaking establishments and funeral homes; which may include one attached residential unit. Water based cremation or alkaline hydrolysis is also permitted as an accessory use to the funeral home, Unique or new uses; not listed within this ordinance; provided that the use complies with the intent of the B-2 District, Wind energy conversion systems
The purpose of the B-3 Central Business District is to provide a centrally located shopping and service area within Palatine for the retail sale of small items and essential serv ices. (Appendix A - Zoning, Section 11.04.)
Permitted by right: Antique shops; of refurbished and refinished materials, Appliance stores; of household items which can be carried by one individual without assistance, Art supply stores, Artist’sstudio, Bakeries; manufacturing of goods limited to those retailed on the premises, Banks and financial institutions; without drive -in facilities, Barber shops, Beauty parlors, Beauty schools; when the service of a beauty parlor is offered to the public, Bicycle sales and repair, Book and stationery stores, Camera and photographic supply stores, Candy stores, Card shops, Catalog stores, China and glassware stores, Clothes and costume rental agencies, Clothing repair stores; including tailoring, shoe and hat repair, Clubs, lodges, temples, fraternal and not for profit organizations; not to be confused with synagogue or private club, Coin and stamp stores, Compatible uses; per procedure and standards listed in section 11.01( f) of this ordinance, Currency exchanges, Dancing schools and studios, Delicatessens; where no on-site consumption of food is accomplished, Drapery stores, Dressmaking and millinery shops, Dry good stores; textiles, clothing and related articles of trade, Dwelling units; subject to the general conditions of section 11.04(c), Electronic communications equipment sales; including television and radio and repair of such items, Florists, Furrier shops, Gift shops, Hardware stores, Health Clubs which are3,000 square feet or less, Hearing aid stores, Historical buildings and landmarks; preserved for the public, Hobby shops, Interior decorating studios and shops, Jewelry stores, Laundries, launderettes; hand or automatic, self -service only, Leather goods and luggage stores, Loan offices, Locksmith shops, Medical appliance stores, Mini-parcel service; with maximum square- footage of one thousand five hundred (1,500) square feet, Mixed uses; combination of economically compatible permitted uses listed above provided that the floor area of such establishment does not exceed fifty thousand (50,000) square feet, Municipal parking lots, Musical instruction, Musical instrument sales and repair, Newspaper distribution agencies, Newspaper offices (public), Notion stores, Nursing home, Office supply stores, Offices: Business, professional or governmental, Opticians and optometrists shops, Paint and wallpaper stores, Parking lots; for private self-propelled passenger vehicles, Pet shops, Pharmacies, Photographic studios and equipment supply, Picture framing, Post offices or sub-stations, Prerecorded music sales; any medium, Public parks, public playgrounds and public community centers, Restaurants (without a drive-through or a local liquor license, and do not operate between 12:00 AM and 6 AM), Second hand thrift shop, Sewing machine sales and service; household machines only, Sporting goods stores, Telephone exchanges, Temporary buildings; on the premises for construction purposes for a period not to exceed the duration of such construction, Temporary uses of special events; for a period not to exceed seventy -two (72) hours; as approved by the Village Council at least ten (10) days before the event, Ticket agencies; amusement, Toy stores, Travel agencies, bureaus and transportation ticket offices, Village Operated Facilities
Special use approval required: Art galleries and public museums, Auction rooms, Banks and financial institutions; with drive-in facilities, Communication devices which exceed height limit, Drive-Thru, Dry Cleaners, Fences, front yard, Food stores, grocery stores, meat markets and frozen foods, Gold and Silver dealers (as defined within Division 16 of the Palatine Code of Ordinances), whose gross business receipts result in 20% or more from the purchase of gold or silver, Liquor Stores; package stores only, Live entertainment, Meeting halls; with a legal capacity of one hundred (100) or more people, Offices: Medical and dental, including, but not limited to physicians, surgeons and dentists, Physical and health services: includes health clubs greater than3,000 square feet, swimming pools, and masseuses, Public service facilities; including electric distributing sub-stations, telephone exchanges and similar non-municipal uses, Restaurants (with a drive-through or a local liquor license, or operate between 12:00 AM and 6 AM), Taverns and bars, Tobacco Shops and electronic cigarette stores, Unique or new uses; not listed within this ordinance; provided that the use complies with the intent of the B-3 District, Wind energy conservation system
The purpose of the B-4 Office-Research District is to provide for professional and corporate office and research facilities within a unified area. All development on a B-4 parcel shall have a single user or firm, subject to the requirements of this section. (Appendix A - Zoning, Section 11.05.)
Permitted by right: Corporate, business, charitable, not -for-profit organizations and labor union offices and headquarters; housing management and administrative personnel only, except:, Engineering and testing laboratories, Laboratories, offices and other facilities; for research and development including basic, applied development and technical services, Professional offices; occupied by one firm, including its subsidiaries, except:, Village Operated Facilities
Special use approval required: Communication devices which exceed height limits, Fencing; in any front yard except for:, Financial institutions, Hospitals, Private trade schools; located totally within a single structure, Public service facilities; including electric distributing sub-stations, telephone exchanges and similar non-municipal uses, Solar or wind energy conversion systems, Unique uses
The purpose of the B-5 Highway Business District is to provide for intensive retail or wholesale sales with appeal on a regional basis. (Appendix A - Zoning, Section 11.06.)
Permitted by right: Appliance stores (large), Appliance stores (small), Auction rooms, Automotive sales; for the sale of new and used automobiles and including auxiliary service and repairs in conjunction with, if conducted wholly within a completely enclosed building, Bakeries, Banks or financial institutions, without drive-in, Baseball academy, Blue printing or photo stating establishments, Boat and marine showroom and sales, Bowling alleys, Building materials and supplies; including outdoor storage when totally fenced, Business machine sales and service, Business schools, Carpet and rug stores, Casket sales and supplies, Catering establishments, Clothes stores, Commercial printing, Compatible uses; per procedure and standards listed in sectio n 11.01(f) of this ordinance, Delicatessens, Department stores; offering for sale at retail some or all of the goods permitted in the B-1 and B-2 districts, Electronic communication equipment sales, Equipment rental and leasing service; home, office, business and industrial, Exterminator shops, Feed and seed stores, Furniture stores, Greenhouses; retail and wholesale items, Halls; capable for use as meeting rooms, party rooms and dance halls with or without live entertainment, food service and alcohol, Health clubs, which are3,000 square feet or less, Homes supply centers, Linen, towel and diaper service, Linoleum or tile, Live bait stores, Machinery rental and sales, Mixed uses; combination of economically compatible permitted uses listed above, provided that the floor area of such establishment does not exceed fifty thousand (50,000) square feet, Monument sales, Movie theaters; indoor, Offices: Business, professional, or governmental, Paint or wallpaper stores, Photograph developing and processing shops, Printing, commercial, Public garages, Publishing of newspapers, Restaurants (without a drive-through or a local liquor license, and do not operate between 12:00 AM and 6 AM), Secondhand thrift stores; if conducted wholly within a completely enclosed building, Sign painting establishments, Snowmobile sales and service, Studios; commercial, photographic, recording, radio and television, Tanning Salons, Taxicab dispatching office facility; including accessory communications equipment, Temporary buildings; on the premises for construction purposes for a period not to exceed the duration of such construction, Temporary uses of special events; for a period not to exceed seventy -two (72) hours; as approved by the Village Council at least ten (10) days before the event, Village Operated Facilities
Special use approval required: Adult bookstores, Adult movie theaters, Adult-Use Cannabis Dispensing Establishment as defined in Section 3.02, Ambulance services, Amusement establishment; including permanent carnivals, kiddie parks, golf driving ranges, miniature golf courses and skating rinks, Animal hospital or kennels, Automobile diagnostic center and repair; when part of a department store and without the disbursement fossil fuels or other forms of energy or material that assists automobile movement, Automobile service and repair; where automobiles are painted, repaired, rebuilt, reconstructed or stored for compensation, Automobile service station and mart; for disbursement of fossil fuels or other forms of energy or material that assists automobile movement and retail sale of other items without on-site consumption of food or repair, Automobile service stations; for disbursement of fossil fuels or other forms of energy or material that assists automobile movement, with repair, Automobile, bus and truck laundries; provided adequate space for fueling of vehicles is furnished and traffic congestion is minimized, Automotive sales; for the sale of used automobiles and including auxiliary service and repairs in conjunction with, if conducted wholly within a completely enclosed building, Banquet and/or meeting room, Bus stations; provided that direct access to a major or secondary thoroughfare is available, Car rental facilities, Communication devices; for radio and television transmission, Communication devices; which exceed the height limitations set forth for business districts, Day care facilities, Drive-Thurs, Dry Cleaners, Fence, front yard, Gold and Silver dealers (as defined within Division 16 of the Palatine Code of Ordinances), whose gross business receipts result in 20% or more from the purchase of gold or silver, Hotels, Extended Stay Hotels, and Motels, Indoor sports and recreational facilities, Liquor Stores; package stores only, Live entertainment, Martial arts school, Movie theaters; outdoor, Offices: Medical and dental, including, but not limited to physicians, surgeons and dentists, Physical and health services: including health clubs greater than3,000 square feet, swimming pools, and masseuses, Public service facilities; including electric distributing sub-stations, telephone exchanges and similar non-municipal uses, Restaurants (with a drive-through or a local liquor license, or operate between 12:00 AM and 6 AM), Sales and service uses; with a retail sales showroom and storage conducted within a totally enclosed building;, Tobacco Shops and electronic cigarette stores, Trailer rental, Truck rental, Undertaking establishments and funeral homes; which may include one attached residential unit. Water based cremation or alkaline hydrolysis is also permitted as an accessory use to the funeral home, Unique uses, Used auto and machinery party, Wind energy conservation systems
The Manufacturing District is intended to accommodate manufacturing activities which are most appropriate when located apart from or well buffered from residential development and which meet the general requirements and performance standards contained in this article. (Appendix A - Zoning, Section 12.01.)
Permitted by right: Artists Studios, with accessory sales, Automotive sales; for the sale of new and used automobiles when accessory to an automotive repair facility, Boat building and repair; for boats less than forty (40) feet in length, Building and material sales, Cameras and other photographic equipment; except film, Car washes; with a minimum 200 foot separation from any residentially zoned use, as measured from the property line of the residential parcel, Cartage or express establishments, Catering Establishments, Commercial/trade school, Contractor’sshops, Equipment rental, Fuel and ice sales; bulk, Garages for storage, repair and servicing of motor vehicles; including body repairs, painting and engine rebuilding, Greenhouses and nurseries, Indoor recreational facilities (health clubs, bowling alleys, indoor soccer fields, training facilities for athletes, and other similar uses), Laboratories, research, experimental and testing, for testing and research, including medical and dental, including labs, Lawn care/landscaping, Machinery sales, Medical/Dental clinic, Mini-warehouse, Nursery, truck garden or greenhouse
Special use approval required: Adult-Use Cannabis Dispensing Establishment as defined in Section 3.02, Alternative Education Facilities, Ambulance services, Animal Hospitals and Kennels, Automotive sales; for the sale of new or used vehicles, Automotive service station and mart; for disbursement of fossil fuels or other forms ofenergy or material that assist in automotive movement and retail sales of other items without on site consumption, Car washes within 200 feet of a residential use, as measured from the property line of the residential parcel, Communication devices which exceed the height limitations set forth for manufacturing districts, Consignment shops with limited hours, Martial Arts Instruction and Training facilities, including any related offices, Medical Marijuana Cultivation Centers and Dispensaries, subject to the State of Illinois Regulations, Medical Offices, Public parks, playgrounds, and community centers; where said facilities are owned and operated by a village, park district, or other municipal corporation including uses customarily or incidental to the above uses, Public service facilities; including electric distributing sub-stations, telephone exchanges and similar non-municipal uses, Restaurants, Towing services within 200 feet of a residential use, as measured from the property line of the residential parcel, Transfer, Storage, and Treatment of General Construction Materials, Demolition Debris, and Wood Waste, Unique Uses in compliance with the Distri ct’sperformance standards, Wind energy conservation system
Source: the Palatine Zoning Ordinance (Code of Ordinances, Appendix A). Overlay districts, planned developments and parking rules can further limit what a specific parcel can do. Confirm any address with the Village before you sign or close — or run it through the Commercial Zoning Lookup.
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