TITLE XIII
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

CHAPTER 178
LIQUOR LICENSES AND FEES

Section 178:20-a

    178:20-a On-Premises Cigar, Beverage, and Liquor Licenses. –
I. The commission may issue a license to a person who operates a cigar bar as defined in this section and who holds a tobacco retailers license under RSA 178:19-a in any town which has voted to accept the provisions of RSA 663:5, I(b), (c), and (d). The license shall entitle the licensee to serve beverages containing at least 1/2 percent and not more than 6 percent alcohol by volume at 60 degrees Fahrenheit by the glass or other suitable container and by the bottle with the cork or cap removed; specialty beer in any suitable container; liquor containing more than 6 percent alcohol by volume at 60 degrees Fahrenheit, by the glass or other suitable container; and wines, by the glass, by the bottle with the cork or cap removed; or other suitable container, under rules adopted by the commission.
II. In this section, "cigar bar" means a business that:
(a) Generates 60 percent or more of its quarterly gross revenue from the sale of cigar-related and hookah products, which is limited to cigars, humidors, cigar cutters, cigar cases, lighters, ashtrays, hookah pipes, shisha tobacco, hookah accessories, and hookah pipe sessions or rentals for on-site use. Revenue from keno, mail order and Internet sales, as well as revenue generated from other tobacco sales in store, including cigarettes and loose tobacco sales, shall not be used to determine whether an establishment satisfies the definition of a cigar bar.
(b) Has a humidor or offers hookah pipes for on-site use on the premises.
(c) Does not allow any person under the age of 21 on the premises unless accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or adult spouse.
(d) Does not allow cigarette smoking or sale of food on the premises.
III. No beverage or liquor shall be consumed on the premises except that which is sold by the licensee.
IV. All applicants for employment at a cigar bar shall be presented with a written notice that states that working in a cigar bar has serious and permanent negative health effects, including, but not limited to, an increased risk of cancer and heart disease, and that no level of exposure to second-hand smoke is safe.
V. Establishments selling hookah products shall adhere to operating hours restrictions in RSA 179:17, II(b).
VI. The fee for an on-premises cigar, beverage, and liquor license shall be as determined in RSA 178:29, I.

Source. 2009, 313:1. 2010, 310:4, eff. Sept. 11, 2010. 2018, 332:3, eff. June 25, 2018. 2019, 346:108, eff. Jan. 1, 2020. 2020, 37:118, eff. July 29, 2020. 2021, 36:1, eff. July 16, 2021. 2022, 289:6, eff. Aug. 30, 2022. 2024, 321:7, eff. Oct. 1, 2024.