No more than three off-sale licenses issued pursuant to subdivisions 35-4-2(3) and (5) may be issued under this chapter to operate in a municipality of one thousand or less. Above this population limit, no more than one license may be issued for every additional fifteen hundred of population or fraction thereof. The number of off-sale licenses may not be less than the total number of licenses allowable as of July 1, 1981, which have never been revoked or not reissued.
For purposes of this section, "population" means an amount equal to the population estimates published by the United States Census Bureau for each even-numbered year, except for the decennial year. For a decennial year, population is equal to the amount determined by the decennial federal census.
If a license issued pursuant to this section exceeds the number of licenses permissible in accordance with the decennial federal census, the license may not be revoked or denied renewal solely because issuance of the license exceeded the permissible number.