Objective To explore the value of laparoscopic hepatectomy for small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) of non-peripheral type. Methods The clinical data of 34 patients with small HCC of non-peripheral type underwent laparoscopic liver resection from March 2008 to April 2011 in our hospital were analyzed retrospectively. Results Thirty-two patients received successful total laparoscopic hepatectomy without blockage of liver blood flow，and 2 were converted to open surgery. The operative time was （162±65） min （100-220 min） and the blood loss was （295±166） ml （100-750 ml）. There were postoperative complications in 4 patients， included cross-section bleeding in 2 cases and ascites in 2 cases. There were no complications such as biliary fistula， infection， carbon dioxide gas embolism， and so on. The mortality of perioperative period was 0. The postoperative hospital stay was （6±2） d （4-9 d）. The follow-up time was （23±7） months （5-42 months）. Thirteen patients developed intrahepatic tumor recurrence during follow-up. The overall and recurrence-free survival rate one year after operation was 90.6% （29/32）and 75.0% （24/32）， respectively. Conclusions Laparoscopic hepatectomy is a safe， feasible， and minimal invasive approach for small HCC of non-peripheral type，and it can be considered as a alternative treatment of HCC.