Kentucky ABC Board upholds denial of Baxter’s 942 alcohol license renewal, owner says city targeted bar

A Louisville bar known as Baxter’s 942 will remain without renewed approval for alcohol service after the Kentucky Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board affirmed a denial of the license renewal, according to a report from WAVE. The decision was issued after a state-level appeal process that began with a Louisville Metro Alcoholic Beverage Control determination and was followed by a state hearing officer’s recommended order.

The report said Metro ABC announced Monday that the Kentucky ABC Board issued a final order affirming Director Brad Silveria’s decision to deny renewal for Project 942 Baxter, LLC, doing business as Baxter’s 942. The denial keeps the Highlands-area bar from being relicensed under the current renewal application.

WAVE reported that the City of Louisville denied the renewal in 2024, citing a series of violent incidents tied to the business and ongoing public safety concerns. The report also said a Kentucky ABC hearing officer issued a recommended order in April that backed the city’s action, concluding that Louisville ABC acted lawfully and that Baxter’s 942 did not meet its burden of proof in the appeal.

According to the WAVE account, Baxter’s 942 responded by arguing that it is being unfairly targeted and by disputing the underlying framing of violence in the neighborhood. The business, the report said, highlighted that shootings cited in the appeal references did not occur on its premises and said it took security measures, including employing off-duty police officers.

The report said the bar’s owner posted a response on the bar’s Facebook page after the state board’s final order. In the posted remarks quoted by WAVE, the owner challenged whether problems attributed to the establishment involved customers identifiable as Baxter’s 942 patrons, asking whether individuals testified as causing issues were wearing items or otherwise marking themselves as customers, and questioning whether allegations were tied to race.

Under Kentucky law, WAVE said Project 942 Baxter, LLC may seek judicial review by filing an appeal in Circuit Court within 30 days. The next step for the business would therefore be to pursue that court filing, while the city and state agencies would continue to treat the denial as in effect absent a court order changing the outcome.

Metro and state officials described the action as a licensing determination grounded in public safety and the license renewal process, not a criminal case. For residents and surrounding businesses, the immediate practical effect is that the bar’s ability to resume alcohol service under a renewed permit remains paused while the matter proceeds through any court review that the company files within the statutory window.