A method of adjusting a clearance between a nozzle and a work to a desired value in a liquid application apparatus wherein a liquid discharged from the nozzle is applied to the work, comprising; (a) a distance measurement step of measuring, by using a non-contact distance sensor positioned in parallel with the nozzle, a distance from the non-contact distance sensor to a reference surface of a contact detection sensor detecting a contact of the nozzle front end with the reference surface opposite to the nozzle front end, (b) a nozzle contacting step of making contacts with the nozzle front end and the reference surface of the contact detection sensor to obtain a positional information of the nozzle, (c) a distance measurement step of measuring, by the non-contact distance sensor, a distance from the non-contact distance sensor to the work before applying the liquid to the work, and (d) a step of adjusting a nozzle clearance to a desired value based on the relative positional information between the nozzle and the non-contact distance sensor determined by the distance measurement step (a) and the nozzle contacting step (b), and the distance determined by the distance measurement step (c), characterized in that the distance measurement step (a) and the nozzle contacting step (b) are carried out separately, and a distance between a position on the reference surface of the contact detection sensor measured by the non-contact distance sensor in the distance measurement step (a) and a position where the nozzle front end contacts the reference surface in the nozzle contacting step (b) is shorter than a distance between a position measured by the non-contact distance sensor and a position of the nozzle front end on a plane defined including the nozzle front end and parallel with the reference surface of the contact detection sensor. (a) a distance measurement step of measuring, by using a non-contact distance sensor positioned in parallel with the nozzle, a distance from the non-contact distance sensor to a reference surface of a contact detection sensor detecting a contact of the nozzle front end with the reference surface opposite to the nozzle front end, (b) a nozzle contacting step of making contacts with the nozzle front end and the reference surface of the contact detection sensor to obtain a positional information of the nozzle, (c) a distance measurement step of measuring, by the non-contact distance sensor, a distance from the non-contact distance sensor to the work before applying the liquid to the work, and (d) a step of adjusting a nozzle clearance to a desired value based on the relative positional information between the nozzle and the non-contact distance sensor determined by the distance measurement step (a) and the nozzle contacting step (b), and the distance determined by the distance measurement step (c), the distance measurement step (a) and the nozzle contacting step (b) are carried out separately, and a distance between a position on the reference surface of the contact detection sensor measured by the non-contact distance sensor in the distance measurement step (a) and a position where the nozzle front end contacts the reference surface in the nozzle contacting step (b) is shorter than a distance between a position measured by the non-contact distance sensor and a position of the nozzle front end on a plane defined including the nozzle front end and parallel with the reference surface of the contact detection sensor.