§ 53-124 — Licenses; types; classification; fees; where paid; license year

Nebraska § 53-124

• Jurisdiction: Nebraska
• Ch. 53: Liquors

Text

(1) At the time application is made to the commission for a license of any type, the applicant shall pay the fee provided in section 53-124.01 and, if the applicant is an individual, provide the applicant's social security number. The commission shall issue the types of licenses described in this section.
(2) There shall be an airline license, a boat license, a special party bus license, a pedal-pub vehicle license, and a railroad license.
(3)(a) There shall be a manufacturer's license for alcohol and spirits, for beer, and for wine. The annual fee for a manufacturer's license for beer shall be based on the barrel daily capacity as follows:
(i) 1 to 100 barrel daily capacity, or any part thereof, tier one;
(ii) 100 to 150 barrel daily capacity, tier two;
(iii) 150 to 200 barrel daily capacity, tier three;
(iv) 200 to 300 barrel daily capacity, tier four;
(v) 300 to 400 barrel daily capacity, tier five;
(vi) 400 to 500 barrel daily capacity, tier six;
(vii) 500 barrel daily capacity, or more, tier seven.
(b) For purposes of this subsection, daily capacity means the average daily barrel production for the previous twelve months of manufacturing operation. If no such basis for comparison exists, the manufacturing licensee shall pay in advance for the first year's operation a fee of five hundred dollars.
(4) There shall be five classes of nonbeverage users' licenses: Class 1, Class 2, Class 3, Class 4, and Class 5.
(5) In lieu of a manufacturer's, a retailer's, or a wholesaler's license, there shall be a license to operate issued for a craft brewery, a farm winery, or a microdistillery.
(6)(a) There shall be six classes of retail licenses:
(i) Class A: Beer only, for consumption on the premises;
(ii) Class B: Beer only, for consumption off the premises, sales in the original packages only;
(iii) Class C: Alcoholic liquor, for consumption on the premises and off the premises, sales in original packages only except as provided in subsection (4) of section 53-123.04 . If a Class C license is held by a nonprofit corporation, it shall be restricted to consumption on the premises only. A Class C license may have a sampling designation restricting consumption on the premises to sampling, but such designation shall not affect sales for consumption off the premises under such license;
(iv) Class D: Alcoholic liquor, including beer, for consumption off the premises, sales in the original packages only, except as provided in subdivision (6)(a)(vi) of this section and subsection (2) of section 53-123.04 ;
(v) Class I: Alcoholic liquor, for consumption on the premises except as provided in subsection (5) of section 53-123.04 ; and
(vi) Class J: Alcoholic liquor, including beer, for consumption off the premises, sales in the original packages only, for a retail licensee whose annual gross revenue from the sale of alcohol does not exceed twenty percent of the licensee's total annual gross revenue from all retail sales.
(b) All applicable license fees shall be paid by the applicant or licensee directly to the city or village treasurer in the case of premises located inside the corporate limits of a city or village and directly to the county treasurer in the case of premises located outside the corporate limits of a city or village.
(7) There shall be five types of shipping licenses as described in section 53-123.15 : Manufacturers, wholesalers, vintage wines, manufacture direct sales, and retail direct sales.
(8) There shall be two types of wholesale licenses: Alcoholic liquor and beer only. The annual fee shall be paid for the first and each additional wholesale place of business operated in this state by the same licensee and wholesaling the same product.
(9) There shall be a bottle club license. All applicable license fees shall be paid by the applicant or licensee directly to the city or village treasurer in the case of premises located inside the corporate limits of a city or village and directly to the county treasurer in the case of premises located outside the corporate limits of a city or village.
(10) The license year, unless otherwise provided in the Nebraska Liquor Control Act, shall commence on May 1 of each year and shall end on the following April 30, except that the license year for a Class C license shall commence on November 1 of each year and shall end on the following October 31. During the license year, no license shall be issued for a sum less than the amount of the annual license fee as fixed in section 53-124.01 , regardless of the time when the application for such license has been made, except that (a) when there is a purchase of an existing licensed business and a new license of the same class is issued or (b) upon the issuance of a new license for a location which has not been previously licensed, the license fee and occupation taxes shall be prorated on a quarterly basis as of the date of issuance.

Legislative History

Source: Laws 1935, c. 116, § 26, p. 391; C.S.Supp.,1941, § 53-326; R.S.1943, § 53-124; Laws 1955, c. 202, § 1, p. 576; Laws 1959, c. 249, § 2, p. 861; Laws 1961, c. 258, § 2, p. 761; Laws 1963, c. 309, § 2, p. 913; Laws 1963, c. 310, § 7, p. 927; Laws 1963, Spec. Sess., c. 5, § 3, p. 76; Laws 1965, c. 318, § 6, p. 893; Laws 1967, c. 332, § 6, p. 882; Laws 1967, c. 336, § 1, p. 897; Laws 1973, LB 111, § 4; Laws 1974, LB 681, § 5; Laws 1975, LB 414, § 1; Laws 1977, LB 237, § 1; Laws 1978, LB 386, § 4; Laws 1983, LB 133, § 2; Laws 1983, LB 213, § 3; Laws 1984, LB 947, § 1; Laws 1985, LB 279, § 8; Laws 1988, LB 1089, § 11; Laws 1989, LB 154, § 3; Laws 1989, LB 781, § 6; Laws 1991, LB 344, § 26; Laws 1993, LB 53, § 3; Laws 1993, LB 183, § 9; Laws 1994, LB 1313, § 3; Laws 1996, LB 750, § 6; Laws 1997, LB 752, § 131; Laws 2001, LB 278, § 4; Laws 2001, LB 671, § 2; Laws 2004, LB 485, § 15; Laws 2007, LB549, § 7; Laws 2009, LB355, § 3; Laws 2010, LB861, § 56; Laws 2010, LB867, § 2; Laws 2013, LB230, § 2; Laws 2015, LB330, § 16; Laws 2016, LB1105, § 15; Laws 2018, LB1120, § 11; Laws 2020, LB734, § 7; Laws 2021, LB274, § 15; Laws 2025, LB478, § 4. Effective Date: September 3, 2025 Annotations: It was error for the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission to refuse a license on grounds of "unfair competition" when the applicant was not advised ahead of time that that issue would be considered by the commission. A license may not be denied solely on the grounds that it might give one business a "competitive edge" over others in the area. Halbert v. Nebraska Liquor Control Commission, 206 Neb. 687, 294 N.W.2d 864 (1980). There is a difference between nonprofit corporation license and bottle club license. Arrow Club, Inc. v. Nebraska Liquor Control Commission, 177 Neb. 686, 131 N.W.2d 134 (1964). Rights of individual licensees to operate are subject to power of Liquor Control Commission. Griffin v. Gass, 133 Neb. 56, 274 N.W. 193 (1937). Where statute authorizes granting licensees right to sell all forms of alcoholic liquors including beer, licensees are entitled to sell beer and other liquor in same room, notwithstanding another section declaring public policy in favor of separate sale. Hanson v. Gass, 130 Neb. 685, 267 N.W. 403 (1936). Despite absence of severance clause, ordinance which provided several distinct and separate grounds upon which to base revocation of liquor licenses was not rendered invalid in its entirety by reason of invalidity of some portions. Clark v. City of Fremont, 377 F.Supp. 327 (D. Neb. 1974).