1. (a) The Commissioner shall distribute and receive all of the applications for licensure under this chapter and shall refer an application to the Division for investigation. If it appears that any application should not be granted, the Commissioner shall timely notify the applicant stating the reason for denial.

2. (b) Hearings on applications for licensure under this chapter. — (1) If 10 or more persons who reside or own property within 1 mile of the premises where the licensee is to operate or in any incorporated areas located within 1 mile of the premises where the licensee is to operate file a protest against the issuance of the license with the Commissioner within 30 days from the filing of the application, then a hearing must be held to consider the application and protest and, specifically, the concerns of the members of the community within which the licensee is to operate.

   1. (2) The Commissioner may hold a hearing in the absence of a protest.
   2. (3) The Commissioner shall cause notice of the time and location of the hearing to be published in 2 consecutive issues of the same newspapers within which the applicant published notice of the applicant’s application for the license.
   3. (4) The Commissioner shall send notice of the time and location of the hearing to the applicant and to each of the persons who signed the protest and provided a legible name and address; provided, however, that it is sufficient for the Commissioner to send notice to a legal agent representing a person.
   4. (5) The Commissioner shall conduct the hearing and shall make and keep a record of the hearing. The record must include the evidence, the Commissioner’s findings of fact, the Commissioner’s decision, and a brief statement of the reasons for the decision.
   5. (6) The Commissioner shall issue a written decision after the hearing. The Commissioner’s decision must show the manner in which the Commissioner construed the law and applied it to the facts, must recite any objections presented by the community, and must show how and the extent to which the Commissioner took community concerns into account and gave them due consideration when making the decision.
3. (c) The Commissioner’s decision on an application must be in writing and is final and conclusive unless a party to such hearing files an appeal within 30 days from the date of the postmark on the Commissioner’s decision by mailing notice of the appeal to the Commissioner’s office. Upon receipt of the appeal, the Commissioner shall notify the chair of the Appeals Commission of the pending appeal and the chair shall convene the Appeals Commission with at least 20 days’ notice to all parties. The Appeals Commission shall hear the appeal and shall review the matter on the record; act in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act, Chapter 101 of Title 29; and affirm, reverse, or modify the decision of the Commissioner. A decision of the Commissioner may only be reversed upon a finding of abuse of discretion.
4. (d) A party who is aggrieved by a final decision of the Appeals Commission may file a written appeal with the Superior Court within 30 days of the date that the Appeals Commission’s decision was mailed. The Superior Court’s review of an appeal shall be on the record and in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act, subchapter V of Chapter 101 of Title 29. The Superior Court’s review shall take into account the experience and specialized competence of the Commissioner and the purpose under which the Commissioner acted. Further, the Superior Court’s review, in the absence of fraud, shall be limited to whether the Commissioner’s decision is supported by substantial evidence on the record and is free from legal error.

84 Del. Laws, c. 24, § 4