Liquor Licensing Ordinance 2026

1. Short title and commencement

This Ordinance may be cited as the Liquor Licensing Ordinance 2026 and comes into force on the day appointed by notice in the Gazette.

2. Interpretation

In this Ordinance:

"alcohol" means any drink containing more than 0.5 per cent alcohol by volume;

"event permit" means a permit granted under the Public Order and Events Ordinance 2026;

"licensed premises" means premises for which a premises licence is in force;

"licensee" means the holder of a premises licence;

"the Licensing Authority" means the Registrar of Businesses;

"the Minister" means the Minister responsible for finance;

"off-sales" means the sale of alcohol for consumption away from the premises where it is sold;

"on-sales" means the sale of alcohol for consumption on the premises where it is sold;

"premises licence" means a licence granted under section 5;

"public place" has the meaning given by section 2 of the Criminal Code Ordinance 2026;

"sale by retail" means the sale or supply of alcohol to a member of the public, including supply in return for an entry charge or any other payment;

"senior officer" means a police officer of the rank of inspector or above;

"the standard scale" means the standard scale of fines in section 14 of the Criminal Code Ordinance 2026.

3. The Licensing Authority

(1) The Registrar of Businesses is the Licensing Authority under this Ordinance and acts through Business Registry and Licensing.

(2) The Licensing Authority keeps a register of premises licences showing, for each licence, the licensee, the premises, whether it authorises on-sales, off-sales or both, its conditions and its dates.

(3) Any person may inspect the register free of charge at the Business Registry counter, Government Complex, Puerto Coral, during its opening hours.

4. Licence needed to sell alcohol

(1) A person must not sell alcohol by retail, or offer it for sale by retail, except on premises and in the manner authorised by a premises licence, or as section 9 allows.

(2) A person who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 6 on the standard scale, or to imprisonment for 6 months, or to both.

(3) On conviction the court may order the forfeiture of any alcohol kept for sale in contravention of subsection (1).

5. Premises licences

(1) The Licensing Authority may grant a premises licence authorising the sale of alcohol by retail on the premises named in it, for on-sales, off-sales or both.

(2) A premises licence may be granted only to a person who holds a business licence in force under the Business Licensing Ordinance 2026 for the business carried on at the premises.

(3) A premises licence relates to one set of premises and may not be transferred without the written consent of the Licensing Authority.

(4) A premises licence does not authorise gaming, which is licensed by the Coral Island Gaming Commission under the Gaming and Casino Control Ordinance 2026.

6. Applications

(1) An application for a premises licence, or for its renewal, is made in person at the Business Registry counter, Government Complex, Puerto Coral, on the form provided there.

(2) The application must include:
(a) the applicant's name and business licence number;
(b) a plan of the premises showing where alcohol will be sold and consumed;
(c) whether on-sales, off-sales or both are sought, and the proposed opening hours; and
(d) the fee prescribed by the Fees and Charges Regulations 2026, paid at the counter when the application is lodged.

(3) A written receipt is given for the fee. The fee is not refunded if the application is refused.

(4) No application is accepted by post, by message or through any website.

7. Police objections

(1) The Licensing Authority sends a copy of every application to the Coral Island Police Service when it is lodged.

(2) Within 3 days of receiving the copy, the Police Service may object to the grant in writing, with reasons, on the ground that it would be likely to lead to crime, disorder or a risk to public safety.

(3) An application is not decided until the period in subsection (2) has ended, unless the Police Service confirms in writing that it does not object.

(4) Where the Police Service objects, the Licensing Authority considers the objection and the applicant's response before deciding, and may grant the licence on conditions that meet the objection.

8. Grant, conditions and duration

(1) The Licensing Authority decides each application in writing and gives reasons for any refusal.

(2) A premises licence may be granted on conditions, including conditions about opening hours, door supervision and the use of outdoor areas, and a condition that no glass is used outdoors.

(3) A premises licence lasts 90 days from the date of grant and may be renewed, on an application under section 6, from 14 days before it expires.

(4) The licensee must display the licence, or a copy of it, where customers can easily read it.

(5) A licensee who fails without reasonable excuse to comply with a condition of the licence commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.

9. Events

(1) An event permit granted under the Public Order and Events Ordinance 2026 for an event at which alcohol is to be sold authorises the sale of alcohol by retail at that event, for its duration and on the conditions of the permit. No premises licence is needed.

(2) Sections 10, 11 and 12 apply at the event as if it were licensed premises and the holder of the permit were the licensee.

10. Minimum age

(1) A person must not sell alcohol to a person under 18, or buy alcohol on behalf of a person under 18.

(2) A person who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.

(3) It is a defence for a person charged with selling alcohol to a person under 18 to show that they believed the buyer was 18 or over and had taken all reasonable steps to confirm it, including asking for identification.

11. Drunkenness and disorder on licensed premises

(1) A licensee, or a person working on licensed premises, must not:
(a) sell alcohol to a person who is drunk; or
(b) knowingly permit drunkenness or disorderly conduct on the premises.

(2) A person who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale.

12. Powers of officers

(1) A police officer may enter licensed premises at any time while they are open, to check compliance with this Ordinance and the licence.

(2) A senior officer may order licensed premises to close for up to 24 hours where there is disorder on or near them, or the senior officer reasonably believes disorder is imminent, and closure is necessary for public safety.

(3) A closure order is given in writing to the licensee or the person in charge and states its reason and when it ends. While it is in force the premises licence is suspended, and any sale of alcohol on the premises is a sale without a licence under section 4.

(4) The senior officer reports every closure to the Licensing Authority, which may review the licence under section 13.

(5) A person who resists or obstructs an officer exercising a power under this section commits an offence under section 54 of the Criminal Code Ordinance 2026.

13. Review, suspension and revocation

(1) The Licensing Authority may review a premises licence on application by the Police Service, or of its own motion, where it has reason to believe that the licensee has broken this Ordinance or a condition of the licence, or that the premises are associated with crime or disorder.

(2) On a review the Licensing Authority gives the licensee notice and an opportunity to respond, and may then add or change conditions, suspend the licence for up to 30 days, or revoke it, giving reasons in writing.

(3) Where the Licensing Authority is satisfied that there is an immediate risk to public safety, it may suspend the licence at once until the review is decided.

(4) An applicant or licensee may appeal to the Magistrates' Court within 14 days against a refusal to grant or renew a licence, or a decision under this section. A suspension or revocation is not postponed by the appeal unless the court orders otherwise.

14. Alcohol-free zones

(1) The Minister, after consulting the Commissioner of the Coral Island Police Service, may by notice in the Gazette designate a public place as an alcohol-free zone, stating its boundaries and the period for which the designation has effect.

(2) A designation does not apply to licensed premises, or to an event held under an event permit, within the zone.

(3) A police officer who reasonably believes that a person in an alcohol-free zone is drinking alcohol, or intends to, may require them to stop and to surrender any alcohol they have with them, which the officer may dispose of.

(4) A person who fails without reasonable excuse to comply with a requirement under subsection (3) commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 2 on the standard scale.

15. Offences by bodies corporate

Where an offence under this Ordinance committed by a company or other body corporate is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of a director, manager or similar officer of the body, that person as well as the body commits the offence and is liable accordingly.

16. Transitional provision

(1) A person who was selling alcohol by retail on Coral Island on 1 October 2026, and who then held a business licence or had applied for one, may continue to do so without a premises licence until 31 October 2026, if they apply for a premises licence by that date.

(2) Where the application has not been decided by 31 October 2026, the person may continue until it is decided.

(3) A person who continues under this section must comply with sections 10 and 11 as if they were a licensee, and section 12 applies to their premises.

17. Regulations and fees

(1) The Minister may make regulations for carrying this Ordinance into effect, including regulations prescribing fees, forms and the standard conditions of premises licences.

(2) Regulations are published as legal notices. The fees in force are set by the Fees and Charges Regulations 2026.