To protect the health, safety, and morals of the residents of this State, the issuance of retail dealer licenses must be governed pursuant to the following requirements to promote adequate law enforcement, regulatory measures, health care costs, and associated impacts on the health, safety, and welfare of the state’s residents resulting from the anticipated sales of liquor, and to curb relationships and practices calculated to stimulate sales and impair the state’s policy favoring trade stability and the promotion of temperance, in determining whether a political subdivision is adequately served pursuant to § 61-6-170, and to provide for an orderly provision of retail dealer licenses:

(1) The department shall not issue more than three retail dealer licenses to one licensee, and the licensee must be eligible for a license for each store pursuant to § 61-6-110.

(2) The limitation of no more than three retail dealer licenses to one licensee does not apply to a person having an interest in retail liquor stores as of July 1, 1978.

(3)(a) A licensee may be issued up to an additional three retail dealer licenses under the conditions provided in this item. Additional retail dealer licenses issued pursuant to this item must be for retail locations in counties with populations in excess of two hundred fifty thousand residents. Licensees issued a retail dealer license pursuant to this subitem may not operate more than two stores in a county with a population in excess of two hundred fifty thousand residents.

(b) A licensee who as of March 21, 2018, operates three retail dealer licensed stores within a county with a population in excess of two hundred fifty thousand residents may be issued two additional retail dealer licenses under subitem (a) to operate in that county.