---
title: O.C.G.A. § 3-4-40. Requirement as to approval by referendum elections of issuance of licenses generally.
collection: code
id: 3-4-40
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 3-4-40 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/3-4-40
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/3-4-40.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/3-4-40/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t1-t2-t3-(v3)-2019-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=6ea3b7a1_0#page=756
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
license: CC0-1.0
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/code/3-4.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/3-4-27.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/3-4-41.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/code/index.md
version: the only printed version
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES / DISTILLED SPIRITS / LOCAL AUTHORIZATION AND REGULATIONS FOR MANUFACTURE, DISTRIBUTION, AND PACKAGE SALES
---

# O.C.G.A. § 3-4-40. Requirement as to approval by referendum elections of issuance of licenses generally.

Licenses for the package sale of distilled spirits shall be authorized only in those counties and municipalities in which the issuance of such licenses is approved by a referendum election as provided in this article.

## History

Ga. L. 1937-38, Ex. Sess., p. 103, § 4; Ga. L. 1972, p. 207, § 3; Code 1933, § 5A-2301, enacted by Ga. L. 1980, p. 1573, § 1; Ga. L. 2017, p. 820, § 2/HB 485.

The 2017 amendment, effective May 9, 2017, in this Code section, substituted ‘‘Licenses for the package sale of distilled spirits shall be’’ for ‘‘Licenses provided for in this article are’’ near the beginning and substituted ‘‘by a referendum election’’ for ‘‘by referendum’’ near the end.

## Law Reviews

For comment on Collins v. Lanier, 201 Ga. 527, 40 S.E.2d 424 (1946), see 9 Ga. B. J. 325 (1947).