(a) A restaurant liquor license shall become available for auction by the board under the following conditions:

(b) A license becomes available for auction by the board the day after the deadline has passed for appealing a decision revoking or not renewing the license or the day after the two-year window to file a renewal application nunc pro tunc under section 470 has passed.

(c) to (e) Repealed by 2016, July 13, P.L. 664, No. 85, § 24(4), imd. effective.

(f) A person who would be precluded from acquiring a license under sections 411 or 443⁴ or who, in the board's opinion is not of good repute, may not apply for a license under this section and the board shall refuse any applications submitted by the person.

(g) The auction shall be conducted in the manner set forth by the board and at the date and time appointed by the board. After the auction, the board shall provisionally award to the person making the highest bid for the license, the right to file an application for the license. The board shall not accept a bid lower than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000).

(h) The winning bidder shall pay to the board the bid amount within two weeks. Payment shall be by cashier's check, certified check or any other method acceptable to the board. If the winning bidder does not pay the bid amount within two weeks, the second highest bidder shall be awarded the right to file an application for the license, so long as the bid amount is in accordance with subsection (g). The board shall hold the bid amount in escrow until the license is approved.

(i) Within six months of being awarded the license, the bidder or its assignee shall file an application to transfer the license. The application shall be processed in the same manner as any other transfer application and shall be subject to the same restrictions as any other transfer application, including any conditional licensing agreements and county quota restrictions under section 461.⁵ The board shall only approve the transfer of a license under this section to a municipality, other than the municipality it last operated in, upon approval by the governing body of the municipality.

(j) Once a license has become available as set forth in this section, it may no longer be subject to any unpaid fines, unserved suspensions, liens or judgments accrued by the previous license holder. A winning bidder under this section shall not be required to supply any information about or secure any information from the previous license holder during the application process.

(k) A license acquired under this section may subsequently be transferred subject to any restrictions that would otherwise be applicable to the transfer of the license.