(a) The Department of Consumer Protection may, in its discretion, suspend, revoke or refuse to grant or renew a permit for the sale of alcoholic liquor if it has reasonable cause to believe: (1) That the applicant or permittee appears to be financially irresponsible or neglects to provide for his family, or neglects or is unable to pay his just debts; (2) that the applicant or permittee has been provided with funds by any wholesaler or manufacturer or has any forbidden connection with any other class of permittee as provided in this chapter; (3) that the applicant or permittee is in the habit of using alcoholic beverages to excess; (4) that the applicant or permittee has wilfully made any false statement to the department in a material matter; (5) that the applicant or permittee has been convicted of violating any of the liquor laws of this or any other state or the liquor laws of the United States or has been convicted of a felony as such term is defined in section 53a-25 or has such a criminal record that the department reasonably believes he is not a suitable person to hold a permit, provided no refusal shall be rendered under this subdivision except in accordance with the provisions of sections 46a-80 and 46a-81; (6) that the applicant or permittee has not been delegated full authority and control of the permit premises and of the conduct of all business on such premises; or (7) that the applicant or permittee has violated any provision of this chapter or any regulation adopted under this chapter. Any backer shall be subject to the same disqualifications as provided in this section in the case of an applicant for a permit or a permittee.

(b) The Commissioner of Consumer Protection may, in his or her discretion, require a permittee who has had his or her permit for the sale of alcoholic liquor suspended or revoked pursuant to subsection (a) of this section to have such permittee's employees participate in an alcohol seller and server training program approved by the commissioner. The commissioner may require proof of completion of the program from the permittee prior to reactivation or reissuance of such permit.

(c) In lieu of suspending or revoking a permit for the sale of alcoholic liquor pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, the commissioner may require a permittee to have such permittee's employees participate in an alcohol seller and server training program.

(1949 Rev., S. 4265; 1971, P.A. 135; P.A. 75-266, S. 1, 3; 75-641, S. 12; P.A. 77-614, S. 165, 587, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 80, 85, 136; P.A. 80-482, S. 4, 170, 191, 345, 348; P.A. 82-472, S. 105, 183; P.A. 86-151, S. 2; P.A. 95-195, S. 50, 83; P.A. 97-175, S. 6; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(d); P.A. 04-169, S. 17; 04-189, S. 1; P.A. 07-41, S. 1.)

History: 1971 act deleted provision which had allowed commission to refuse permit to female applicant “if the duties of a permittee may interfere with the care of her family”; P.A. 75-266 allowed commission to refuse permit to a person convicted of a felony in Subdiv. (5) and specified that any refusal under that Subdiv. must be rendered in accordance with Secs. 4-61o to 4-61r; P.A. 75-641 deleted reference to Subdiv. (13) of Sec. 30-1; P.A. 77-614 and P.A. 78-303 replaced liquor control commission with division of liquor control within the department of business regulation, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 80-482 made division of liquor control an independent department and abolished the department of business regulation, overriding provision of same act which would have placed the division within the public safety department; P.A. 82-472 substituted reference to Secs. 46a-80 and 46a-81 for reference to Secs. 4-61o to 4-61r; P.A. 86-151 authorized the department of liquor control to disqualify any backer, not just those backers who are persons as defined in Sec. 30-1; P.A. 95-195 substituted Department of Consumer Protection for Department of Liquor Control, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 97-175 added suspension, revocation or refusal to grant or renew a permit, made provisions applicable to permittees, added new Subdiv. (7) re violation of chapter or regulation, and made technical changes; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 and P.A. 04-169 replaced Department of Consumer Protection with Department of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-189 repealed Sec. 146 of June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, thereby reversing the merger of the Departments of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective June 1, 2004; P.A. 07-41 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a) and added Subsecs. (b) and (c) re alcohol seller and server training program and permittee participation, effective January 1, 2008.

Provides for discretionary refusal of permits by liquor control commission; a person may be rendered unsuitable to receive a wholesaler liquor permit if, in operating under it, he would be completely subject to the domination of another who is an unsuitable person. 142 C. 569. Cited. 148 C. 648; 150 C. 425; 156 C. 287; 176 C. 428.

Partnership agreement was not offensive on its face, but had an illegal, ulterior purpose, namely, to evade the strictures of the liquor control laws. 87 CA 235. “Financially irresponsible” is a broad term encompassing many possible factual situations, and plain language allows commission to consider a variety of facts in reaching its determination; commission had reasonable cause to find persons working for renewal applicant to be “employees” and find applicant financially irresponsible due to failure to keep employment records, pay unemployment taxes, file tax reports, and pay actual wages. 120 CA 92.

Cited. 16 CS 301.