Hawaii Revised Statutes
281. Intoxicating Liquor
281-17 Jurisdiction and powers.

§281-17 Jurisdiction and powers. (a) The liquor commission, within its own county, shall have the jurisdiction, power, authority, and discretion, subject only to this chapter:
(1) To grant, refuse, suspend, and revoke any license for the manufacture, importation, and sale of liquors;
(2) To take appropriate action against a person who, directly or indirectly, manufactures, sells, or purchases any liquor without being authorized pursuant to this chapter; provided that in counties that have established by charter a liquor control adjudication board, the board shall have the jurisdiction, power, authority, and discretion to hear and determine administrative complaints of the director regarding violations of the liquor laws of the State or of the rules of the liquor commission, and impose penalties for violations thereof as may be provided by law;
(3) To control, supervise, and regulate the manufacture, importation, and sale of liquors by investigation, enforcement, and education; provided that any educational program shall be limited to the commission staff, commissioners, liquor control adjudication board members, and licensees and their employees, and shall be financed through the money collected from the assessment of fines against licensees; provided that fine moneys, not to exceed ten per cent a year of fines accumulated, may be used to fund public liquor-related educational or enforcement programs;
(4) From time to time to make, amend, and repeal rules, not inconsistent with this chapter, as in the judgment of the commission are deemed appropriate for carrying out this chapter and for the efficient administration thereof, and the proper conduct of the business of all licensees, including every matter or thing required to be done or which may be done with the approval or consent, by order, under the direction or supervision of, or as prescribed by the commission; which rules, when adopted as provided in chapter 91 shall have the force and effect of law;
(5) Subject to chapter 76, to appoint and remove an administrator, who may also be appointed an investigator and who shall be responsible for the operations and activities of the staff. The administrator may hire and remove hearing officers, investigators, and clerical or other assistants as its business may from time to time require, prescribe their duties and fix their compensation, and engage the services of experts and persons engaged in the practice of a profession, if deemed expedient. Every investigator, within the scope of the investigator's duties, shall have the powers of a police officer;
(6) To limit the number of licenses of any class or kind within the county, or the number of licenses of any class or kind to do business in any given locality, when in the judgment of the commission such limitations are in the public interest;
(7) To prescribe the nature of the proof to be furnished, the notices to be given, and the conditions to be met or observed in case of the issuance of a duplicate license in place of one alleged to have been lost or destroyed, including a requirement of any indemnity deemed appropriate to the case;
(8) To fix the hours between which licensed premises of any class or classes may regularly be open for the transaction of business, which shall be uniform throughout the county as to each class respectively;
(9) To prescribe all forms to be used for the purposes of this chapter not otherwise provided for in this chapter, and the character and manner of keeping of books, records, and accounts to be kept by licensees in any matter pertaining to their business;
(10) To investigate violations of this chapter, chapter 244D and, notwithstanding any law to the contrary, violations of the applicable department of health's allowable noise levels, through its investigators or otherwise, to include covert operations, and to report violations to the prosecuting officer for prosecution and, where appropriate, the director of taxation to hear and determine complaints against any licensee;
(11) To prescribe, by rule, the terms, conditions, and circumstances under which persons or any class of persons may be employed by holders of licenses;
(12) To prescribe, by rule, the term of any license or solicitor's and representative's permit authorized by this chapter, the annual or prorated amount, the manner of payment of fees for the licenses and permits, and the amount of filing fees;
(13) To prescribe, by rule, regulations on dancing in licensed premises; and
(14) To prescribe, by rule, the circumstances and penalty for the unauthorized manufacturing or selling of any liquor.
(b) Subject only to this chapter, the commission or board and each member thereof shall have the same powers respecting the administering of oaths, compelling the attendance of witnesses and the production of documentary evidence, and examining the witnesses as are possessed by a circuit court, except that the commission or board and each member thereof shall not be bound by the strict legal rules of evidence. In addition, the commission or board shall have the power to require the production of, and to examine any books, papers, and records of any licensee which may pertain to the licensee's business under the license or which may pertain to a matter at a hearing before the commission or board or to an investigation by the commission or board.
The exercise by the commission or board of the power, authority, and discretion vested in it pursuant to this chapter shall be final and shall not be reviewable by or appealable to any court or tribunal, except as otherwise provided in this chapter or chapter 91. [L Sp 1933, c 40, §8; RL 1935, §2577; am L 1935, c 105, § §4, 5; am L 1937, c 211, §5; am L Sp 1941, c 41, §2; RL 1945, §7228; RL 1955, §159-16; am L 1961, c 92, §1; am L 1963, c 172, §2(e); am L 1965, c 31, §1(3) and c 96, §96; HRS §281-17; am L 1969, c 225, §1(a), (b); am L 1973, c 31, §21; am L 1985, c 109, §1; am L 1986, c 344, §13; am L 1987, c 223, §1; am L 1990, c 171, §6; am L 1998, c 249, §8; am L 2000, c 253, §150; am L 2002, c 111, §3; am L 2003, c 3, §8 and c 69, §4; am L 2009, c 184, §4; am L 2012, c 297, § §2, 4; am L 2015, c 136, §1]
Cross References
Criminal history record checks, see §846-2.7.
Review, see § §91-14 and 281-92.
Case Notes
Plaintiff must exhaust its administrative remedy in the circuit court before it may pursue its state law claims, as required by this section; thus, defendants' motion to dismiss plaintiff's state law claims under the state constitution, chapter 281, and the liquor commission rules, granted. 681 F. Supp. 2d 1209 (2009).
Commission action, reviewability. 40 H. 485 (1954).
Provisions of this section inconsistent with county charter provisions are superseded. 59 H. 65, 576 P.2d 1029 (1978).
Section grants very broad authority to county liquor commission to adopt rules to abolish racially discriminatory practices by liquor licensees. 69 H. 238, 738 P.2d 1205 (1987).

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