# Illinois IDFPR Professional License Scraper (`crawlerbros/illinois-idfpr-license-scraper`) Actor

Search and verify Illinois professional licenses from IDFPR - nurses, physicians, real estate, cosmetology, accountants, engineers, contractors, and 60+ other license types. Lookup by name, license number, license type, location, or disciplinary history.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/crawlerbros/illinois-idfpr-license-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Crawler Bros](https://apify.com/crawlerbros) (community)
- **Categories:** Automation, Developer tools, Other
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $3.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## Illinois IDFPR License Scraper

Search and verify Illinois professional licenses issued by the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — nurses, physicians, real estate agents/brokers, cosmetologists, accountants (CPAs), engineers, architects, roofing contractors, veterinarians, social workers, and 60+ other license types in one unified tool. Look up by name, license number, license type/board, city, county, or state, and browse disciplinary/enforcement actions. No auth, no cookies, no proxy required.

### What this actor does

- **Three modes:** `search`, `byLicenseNumbers`, `disciplinaryActions`
- **63 license types / boards** covering nearly every profession IDFPR regulates
- **31 license statuses** — Active, Expired, Revoked, Suspended, Probation, and more
- **Name search** — first name, last name, and business/entity name (prefix match, case-insensitive)
- **Location filters** — city, county, state, ZIP code
- **License sub-type filter** — narrow within a license type by IDFPR's own `description` field (e.g. `REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL NURSE` within `NURSING BOARD`)
- **Full-text keyword search** across all fields
- **Disciplinary history** — case number, action taken, discipline dates and reason, when on record
- **Empty fields are omitted** — every record only contains fields IDFPR actually reported

### Output per license

- `fullName`, `firstName`, `middleName`, `lastName`, `namePrefix`, `nameSuffix`, `professionalTitle` (individuals; `professionalTitle` is a credential like `MD`, `DO`, `DDS`, `DVM`, `OD` when IDFPR has one on file)
- `businessName`, `businessDba`, `isBusiness` (business/entity licenses)
- `licenseNumber`, `licenseType`, `description` (specific license sub-type), `licenseStatus`
- `originalIssueDate`, `effectiveDate`, `expirationDate`, `lastModifiedDate` (ISO `YYYY-MM-DD`)
- `city`, `state`, `zipCode`, `county`
- `specialtyQualifier`, `controlledSubstanceSchedule`, `delegatedControlledSubstance` (when applicable, e.g. prescribing licenses)
- `everDisciplined` — boolean
- `caseNumber`, `disciplineAction`, `disciplineStartDate`, `disciplineEndDate`, `disciplineReason` (only present when a license has disciplinary history)
- `sourceUrl` — direct link to the official record
- `recordType: "license"`, `scrapedAt`

### Input

| Field | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `mode` | string | `search` | `search` / `byLicenseNumbers` / `disciplinaryActions` |
| `lastName` | string | `Smith` | Last name / business name prefix (mode=search) |
| `firstName` | string | – | First name prefix |
| `businessName` | string | – | Business/entity name prefix |
| `keyword` | string | – | Free-text search across all fields |
| `licenseNumbers` | array | – | Exact license numbers (mode=byLicenseNumbers) |
| `licenseType` | select | Any | One of 63 IDFPR license types / boards |
| `licenseStatus` | select | Any | One of 31 license statuses |
| `city` | string | – | Exact city match |
| `county` | string | – | Exact county match |
| `state` | string | – | 2-letter state code |
| `zipCode` | string | – | 5-digit ZIP |
| `description` | string | – | License sub-type prefix match, e.g. `REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL NURSE` |
| `disciplinedOnly` | bool | `false` | Only licenses with disciplinary history |
| `maxItems` | int | `50` | Hard cap (1–5000) |

#### Example: search by name

```json
{
  "mode": "search",
  "lastName": "Smith",
  "licenseType": "NURSING BOARD",
  "maxItems": 50
}
```

#### Example: lookup exact license numbers

```json
{
  "mode": "byLicenseNumbers",
  "licenseNumbers": ["225000009", "041363875"]
}
```

#### Example: browse disciplinary actions for real estate licenses

```json
{
  "mode": "disciplinaryActions",
  "licenseType": "REAL ESTATE",
  "maxItems": 100
}
```

### Use cases

- **Employers / HR** — verify a candidate's or contractor's professional license before hiring
- **Healthcare credentialing** — confirm nurse, physician, or physical-therapist license status
- **Real estate** — verify a broker's or agent's license and disciplinary history
- **Compliance teams** — bulk-monitor license expirations across a workforce
- **Journalists / researchers** — analyze disciplinary trends by profession or county
- **Consumer protection** — check a contractor, cosmetologist, or auctioneer before doing business

### Data source

This actor reads IDFPR's own official open-data publication — the "Professional Licensing" dataset on `data.illinois.gov` (Illinois's official open-data portal), which IDFPR updates daily and which mirrors every record its interactive "Check a License" tool exposes. IDFPR's interactive lookup tool (`online-dfpr.micropact.com`) sits behind an AWS WAF bot-management challenge that blocks automated/datacenter access; the open-data API is the same official data without that gate, so results are identical in substance and freshness.

### Limitations

- **County field is inconsistent upstream.** For out-of-state licensees, IDFPR sometimes populates this field with the licensee's home state instead of an Illinois county — this reflects the source data, not an actor bug.
- **Older/legacy records may lack a license number** (e.g. some pre-1990s deceased/inactive records) — these are still returned with all other available fields, just without `licenseNumber`/`sourceUrl`.
- **Name search is prefix-match, not fuzzy.** `lastName: "Smit"` matches "Smith", "Smithson", etc. but not "Smyth". Use `keyword` for a broader full-text pass.

### FAQ

**Is this actor free to run?** Yes — it uses Illinois's public open-data API directly, no residential proxy or paid API key required.

**How fresh is the data?** IDFPR updates the open-data mirror daily, matching the same cadence as its official interactive lookup tool.

**What license types are covered?** All 63 IDFPR boards/categories, including Nursing, Medical, Real Estate, Cosmetology, Dental, Pharmacy, Public Accountancy, Professional/Structural Engineering, Architecture, Veterinary, Social Work, Funeral/Embalming, Private Detective/Security, Roofing Contractors, and more. See the `licenseType` dropdown for the full list.

**Can I search across every license type at once?** Yes — leave `licenseType` on "Any license type" and search by name, city, or keyword instead.

**What does `everDisciplined` mean?** `true` if IDFPR's records show the license has ever been subject to a disciplinary action (suspension, revocation, probation, reprimand, etc.), regardless of current status.

**Does this cover businesses/entities as well as individuals?** Yes — license records for firms, agencies, and corporations (e.g. real estate brokerages, roofing contractors, collection agencies) are included, flagged with `isBusiness: true`.

# Actor input Schema

## `mode` (type: `string`):

What to fetch.

## `lastName` (type: `string`):

Licensee or business last name / prefix match, case-insensitive. e.g. `Smith`.

## `firstName` (type: `string`):

Licensee first name / prefix match, case-insensitive.

## `businessName` (type: `string`):

Business / entity name / prefix match, case-insensitive.

## `keyword` (type: `string`):

Free-text search across all fields (name, business name, city, license description, etc). Use when you don't know which field to search.

## `licenseNumbers` (type: `array`):

Exact IDFPR license numbers to look up, e.g. `225000009`.

## `licenseType` (type: `string`):

Restrict results to one IDFPR license type / board. Leave as "Any" to search across all professions.

## `licenseStatus` (type: `string`):

Restrict results to one license status. Leave as "Any" for all statuses.

## `city` (type: `string`):

Filter by licensee/business city (exact match, case-insensitive).

## `county` (type: `string`):

Filter by Illinois county (exact match, case-insensitive). Out-of-state licensees may have their home state in this field instead.

## `state` (type: `string`):

Filter by the licensee's mailing-address state, e.g. `IL`. Illinois licenses many out-of-state practitioners.

## `zipCode` (type: `string`):

Filter by exact 5-digit ZIP code.

## `description` (type: `string`):

Filter by the specific license sub-type description IDFPR reports (prefix match, case-insensitive), e.g. `REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL NURSE` within license type `NURSING BOARD`, or `LICENSED BOXER` within `ATHLETICS`.

## `disciplinedOnly` (type: `boolean`):

Only return licenses that have ever been subject to disciplinary action (mode=search / mode=byLicenseNumbers).

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Hard cap on emitted records.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "search",
  "lastName": "Smith",
  "licenseNumbers": [],
  "licenseType": "",
  "licenseStatus": "",
  "disciplinedOnly": false,
  "maxItems": 50
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `licenses` (type: `string`):

Dataset containing all scraped Illinois IDFPR license records.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "mode": "search",
    "lastName": "Smith",
    "licenseNumbers": [],
    "licenseType": "",
    "licenseStatus": "",
    "disciplinedOnly": false,
    "maxItems": 50
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("crawlerbros/illinois-idfpr-license-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "mode": "search",
    "lastName": "Smith",
    "licenseNumbers": [],
    "licenseType": "",
    "licenseStatus": "",
    "disciplinedOnly": False,
    "maxItems": 50,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("crawlerbros/illinois-idfpr-license-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "mode": "search",
  "lastName": "Smith",
  "licenseNumbers": [],
  "licenseType": "",
  "licenseStatus": "",
  "disciplinedOnly": false,
  "maxItems": 50
}' |
apify call crawlerbros/illinois-idfpr-license-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=crawlerbros/illinois-idfpr-license-scraper",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/PBg6BWGroFDQ3D5yu/builds/faH24GbnlX15RXlfM/openapi.json