County of Kaua'i Department of Liquor Control

Liquor License (Restaurant or Retail Dealer)

Required of any restaurant, coffee shop or retail store on Kaua'i that sells alcohol — the one County license that reaches the food and retail industries covered here. Liquor licensing in Hawaii is run by each county's liquor commission under Chapter 281 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes; on Kaua'i the Department of Liquor Control investigates applications for the Liquor Control Commission. The Commission's rules, whose current edition took effect on October 20, 2025, set the annual basic fees in Rule 4.1: a Restaurant (Class 2) license costs $480 for General, $180 for Beer & Wine and $120 for Beer, and a Retail Dealer (Class 4) license costs $480 for General and $180 for Beer & Wine. Both classes also pay a percentage fee under Rule 4.4, calculated from each licensee's final gross liquor sales by a formula the Commission sets each fiscal year; the gross sales report is due by July 31 and the percentage fee on October 31. A new license or a transfer carries a $100 filing fee under Rule 2.8, and every application must be accompanied by a deposit to cover publishing the notice of its public hearing (Rule 2.7). Every license expires at midnight on June 30; renewals are filed from June 1 to June 30 with a current state tax clearance and proof of $1,000,000 in liquor liability insurance (Rule 2.6). A license not exercised within 180 days of the Commission's approval becomes void, except for good cause (Rule 5.1). A temporary license of any class costs $60 for an initial period of up to 120 days. Contact the Department of Liquor Control at (808) 241-4966 or liquor@kauai.gov.