§ 53-134 — Retail, bottle club, craft brewery, microdistillery, and entertainment district licenses; city and village governing bodies; county boards; powers, functions, and duties

The local governing body of any city or village with respect to licenses within its corporate limits and the local governing body of any county with respect to licenses not within the corporate limits of any city or village but within the county shall have the following powers, functions, and duties with respect to retail, bottle club, craft brewery, microdistillery, and entertainment district licenses:
(1) To cancel or revoke for cause retail, craft brewery, microdistillery, or entertainment district licenses to sell or dispense alcoholic liquor or bottle club licenses, issued to persons for premises within its jurisdiction, subject to the right of appeal to the commission;
(2) To enter or to authorize any law enforcement officer to enter at any time upon any premises licensed under the Nebraska Liquor Control Act to determine whether any provision of the act, any rule or regulation adopted and promulgated pursuant to the act, or any ordinance, resolution, rule, or regulation adopted by the local governing body has been or is being violated and at such time examine the premises of such licensee in connection with such determination. Any law enforcement officer who determines that any provision of the act, any rule or regulation adopted and promulgated pursuant to the act, or any ordinance, resolution, rule, or regulation adopted by the local governing body has been or is being violated shall report such violation in writing to the executive director of the commission (a) within thirty days after determining that such violation has occurred, (b) within thirty days after the conclusion of an ongoing police investigation, or (c) within thirty days after the verdict in a prosecution related to such an ongoing police investigation if the prosecuting attorney determines that reporting such violation prior to the verdict would jeopardize such prosecution, whichever is later;
(3) To receive a signed complaint from any citizen within its jurisdiction that any provision of the act, any rule or regulation adopted and promulgated pursuant to the act, or any ordinance, resolution, rule, or regulation relating to alcoholic liquor has been or is being violated and to act upon such complaints in the manner provided in the act;
(4) To receive retail license fees, bottle club license fees, craft brewery license fees, and microdistillery license fees as provided in sections 53-124 and 53-124.01 and entertainment district license fees as provided in section 53-123.17 and pay the same, after the license has been delivered to the applicant, to the city, village, or county treasurer;
(5) To examine or cause to be examined any applicant or any retail licensee, bottle club licensee, craft brewery licensee, microdistillery licensee, or entertainment district licensee upon whom notice of cancellation or revocation has been served as provided in the act, to examine or cause to be examined the books and records of any applicant or licensee except as otherwise provided for bottle club licensees in section 53-123.08 , and to hear testimony and to take proof for its information in the performance of its duties. For purposes of obtaining any of the information desired, the local governing body may authorize its agent or attorney to act on its behalf;
(6) To cancel or revoke on its own motion any license if, upon the same notice and hearing as provided in section 53-134.04 , it determines that the licensee has violated any of the provisions of the act or any valid and subsisting ordinance, resolution, rule, or regulation duly enacted, adopted, and promulgated relating to alcoholic liquor. Such order of cancellation or revocation may be appealed to the commission within thirty days after the date of the order by filing a notice of appeal with the commission. The commission shall handle the appeal in the manner provided for hearing on an application in section 53-133 ;
(7) Upon receipt from the commission of the notice and copy of application as provided in section 53-131 , to fix a time and place for a hearing at which the local governing body shall receive evidence, either orally or by affidavit from the applicant and any other person, bearing upon the propriety of the issuance of a license. Notice of the time and place of such hearing shall be published in a legal newspaper in or of statewide circulation or general circulation in such city, village, or county one time not less than seven and not more than fourteen days before the time of the hearing. Such notice shall include, but not be limited to, a statement that all persons desiring to give evidence before the local governing body in support of or in protest against the issuance of such license may do so at the time of the hearing. Such hearing shall be held not more than forty-five days after the date of receipt of the notice from the commission, and after such hearing the local governing body shall cause to be recorded in the minute record of their proceedings a resolution recommending either issuance or refusal of such license. The clerk of such city, village, or county shall mail to the commission by first-class mail, postage prepaid, a copy of the resolution which shall state the cost of the published notice, except that failure to comply with this provision shall not void any license issued by the commission. If the commission refuses to issue such a license, the cost of publication of notice shall be paid by the commission from the security for costs;
(8) To review and authorize an application by a retail, bottle club, craft brewery, farm winery, or microdistillery licensee for a temporary expansion of its licensed premises within the jurisdiction of the local governing body to an immediately adjacent area owned or leased by the licensee or to an immediately adjacent street, parking lot, or alley, not to exceed fifty days for calendar year 2020 and, for each calendar year thereafter, not to exceed fifteen days per calendar year, as provided in sections 53-123.12 and 53-129 ; and
(9) To review and authorize an application by a craft brewery, farm winery, or microdistillery licensee that holds a promotional farmers market special designated license for a permit to use such promotional farmers market special designated license to sell or dispense alcoholic liquor, which the holder is licensed to produce, at a farmers market within the jurisdiction of the local governing body as provided in section 53-124.17 . The local governing body shall electronically notify the commission within five days after authorization of any permit pursuant to this subdivision.

Legislative History

Source: Laws 1935, c. 116, § 85, p. 421; C.S.Supp.,1941, § 53-385; R.S.1943, § 53-134; Laws 1949, c. 169, § 1(1), p. 447; Laws 1959, c. 249, § 9, p. 868; Laws 1967, c. 332, § 9, p. 888; Laws 1983, LB 213, § 14; Laws 1984, LB 947, § 4; Laws 1986, LB 911, § 6; Laws 1988, LB 352, § 92; Laws 1988, LB 550, § 3; Laws 1988, LB 1089, § 15; Laws 1989, LB 780, § 10; Laws 1989, LB 781, § 12; Laws 1991, LB 344, § 37; Laws 1993, LB 183, § 14; Laws 1999, LB 267, § 11; Laws 2001, LB 278, § 8; Laws 2004, LB 485, § 23; Laws 2007, LB549, § 14; Laws 2010, LB861, § 68; Laws 2011, LB641, § 1; Laws 2012, LB1130, § 7; Laws 2018, LB1120, § 17; Laws 2020, LB1056, § 7; Laws 2021, LB274, § 17; Laws 2025, LB478, § 8. Effective Date: September 3, 2025 Annotations: The plain language of this section does not allow a county to revoke a liquor license based upon a resolution. DLH, Inc. v. Lancaster Cty. Bd. of Comrs., 264 Neb. 358, 648 N.W.2d 277 (2002). The provisions of this section give a local governing board the authority to cancel or to revoke a liquor license, providing that a multistep process is followed. Any cancellation or revocation is subject to appeal to the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission. Luet, Inc. v. City of Omaha, 247 Neb. 831, 530 N.W.2d 633 (1995). This section, as amended by L.B. 781, is unconstitutionally vague and unconstitutionally delegates legislative power. Kwik Shop v. City of Lincoln, 243 Neb. 178, 498 N.W.2d 102 (1993). The portion of this section amended by 1986 Neb. Laws, L.B. 911, is declared unconstitutional. Bosselman, Inc. v. State, 230 Neb. 471, 432 N.W.2d 226 (1988). The action of five members of the city council, in recommending denial of a liquor license, must be considered a nullity and, therefore, not a denial when a city ordinance requires a quorum of six before business may be transacted. Bond v. Nebraska Liquor Control Comm., 210 Neb. 663, 316 N.W.2d 600 (1982). This section authorized ordinance which provides that any liquor licensee who voluntarily closed his licensed premises for ten days without permission shall have elected to discontinue business under such license. Bali Hai', Inc. v. Nebraska Liquor Control Commission, 195 Neb. 1, 236 N.W.2d 614 (1975). To be valid, a resolution recommending issuance or refusal of liquor license must be adopted by a majority of all elected members of city council. Hadlock v. Nebraska Liquor Control Commission, 193 Neb. 721, 228 N.W.2d 887 (1975).