(1) Any person desiring to obtain a new license to operate a farm winery shall:

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(a) File an application with the commission upon such forms as the commission from time to time prescribes;

(b) Pay the license fee to the commission under sections 53-124 and 53-124.01, which fee shall be returned to the applicant if the application is denied; and

(c) Pay the nonrefundable application fee to the commission in the sum of four hundred dollars.

(2) To renew a farm winery license, a farm winery licensee shall file an application with the commission, pay the license fee under sections 53-124 and 53-124.01, and pay the renewal fee of forty-five dollars.

(3) License fees, application fees, and renewal fees may be paid to the commission by certified or cashier’s check of a bank within this state, personal or business check, United States post office money order, or cash in the full amount of such fees.

(4) For a new license, the commission shall then notify the municipal clerk of the city or incorporated village where such license is sought or, if the license is not sought within a city or incorporated village, the county clerk of the county where such license is sought of the receipt of the application and shall include with such notice one copy of the application. No such license shall then be issued by the commission until the expiration of at least forty-five days from the date of receipt by mail or electronic delivery of such application from the commission. Within thirty-five days from the date of receipt of such application from the commission, the local governing bodies of nearby cities or villages or the county may make and submit to the commission recommendations relative to the granting of or refusal to grant such license to the applicant.

(5)(a) A farm winery licensee may apply to the local governing body for a temporary expansion of the licensed premises 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. The temporary area shall comply with the Nebraska Liquor Control Act for consumption on the premises and shall be subject to the following conditions: (i) The temporary area shall be enclosed during the temporary expansion by a temporary fence or other means approved by the county, city, or village; (ii) the temporary area shall have easily identifiable entrances and exits; and (iii) the licensee shall ensure that the area meets all sanitation requirements for a licensed premises. The local governing body shall electronically notify the commission within five days after the authorization of any temporary expansion pursuant to this subsection.

(b) The licensee shall file an application with the local governing body which shall contain (i) the name of the applicant, (ii) the premises for which a temporary expansion is requested, identified by street and number if practicable and, if not, by some other appropriate description which definitely locates the premises, (iii) the name of the owner or lessee of the premises for which the temporary expansion is requested, (iv) sufficient evidence that the licensee will carry on the activities and business authorized by the license for himself, herself, or itself and not as the agent of any other person, group, organization, or corporation, for profit or not for profit, (v) a statement of the type of activity to be carried on during the time period for which a temporary expansion is requested, and (vi) sufficient evidence that the temporary expansion will be supervised by persons or managers who are agents of and directly responsible to the licensee.

(c) No temporary expansion provided for by this subsection shall be granted without the approval of the local governing body. The local governing body may establish criteria for approving or denying a temporary expansion. The local governing body may designate an agent to determine whether a temporary expansion is to be approved or denied. Such agent shall follow criteria established by the local governing body in making the determination. The determination of the agent shall be considered the determination of the local governing body unless otherwise provided by the local governing body.

(d) For purposes of this section, the local governing body shall be that of the city or village within which the premises for which the temporary expansion is requested are located or, if such premises are not within the corporate limits of a city or village, then the local governing body shall be that of the county within which the premises for which the temporary expansion is requested are located.

(e) The decision of the local governing body shall be final. If the applicant does not qualify for a temporary expansion, the temporary expansion shall be denied by the local governing body.

(f) The city, village, or county clerk shall deliver confirmation of the temporary expansion to the licensee upon receipt of any fee or tax imposed by such city, village, or county.