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HRS §281-52

Public hearing before a liquor license is granted

Before the liquor commission can grant any liquor license, it must hold a public hearing with notice as required by this chapter. However, some license holders can switch to a different license without that hearing if they meet certain conditions, such as staying on the same premises or replacing a demolished building.

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The statute, as written — Public hearing

No license shall be granted except after a public hearing by the liquor commission upon notice as prescribed in this chapter; provided that sections 281-57 to 281-60 shall not apply to the holder of a restaurant general license, a wholesale general license, a retail general license, or a dispenser's general license, who applies for a different kind of license within the class of the holder's existing license, on the same premises, or to the holder of a cabaret license who applies for a dispenser license of any kind, on the same premises, or to the holder of a dispenser's beer and wine license who applies for dispenser's beer license, on the same premises, or to a licensee whose licensed premises have been demolished and replaced by another building on the same premises and who applies for the same or lesser kind of the same class of liquor license previously held by the licensee on said premises. [L Sp 1933, c 40, §28; RL 1935, §2597; am L 1939, c 205, pt of §1; RL 1945, §7249; RL 1955, §159-51; am L 1967, c 62, §1; HRS §281-52; am L 1969, c 197, §1; am L 1972, c 149, §1; gen ch 1985; am L 2008, c 168, §10]
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗as published Jan 6, 2026our copy taken Aug 20, 2026

Sections this one refers to

§281-57 How the public gets notice of a liquor license hearing

LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.