Texas local moratoria

Every local infrastructure moratorium in the inventory for Texas, current through September 23, 2026.

11 instruments — 5 in force, 4 pending, 2 past.

State policy is tracked separately: 11 actions (10 bills and 1 non-bill action) in state_legislation.csv. These are not included in the local count above.

Detailed entries

Austin County

• Type: County
• Status: 🟢 Active
• Date enacted: 2026-07-27, Austin County Commissioners Court, unanimous vote at a Monday meeting (KWHI, published Tuesday 2026-07-28, reports the vote as taken 'Monday'), following the July 13, 2026 public hearing. The signed order itself (obtained directly from austincounty.com) confirms adoption by the full Commissioners Court (County Judge Tim Lapham and Commissioners Greg Mikel, Bobby Rinn, Leroy Cerny, and Chip Reed) but its scanned signature-page 'Date of adoption' field was not legibly OCR-able.
• Normalized date: 2026-07-27 (exact)
• Duration: Until a comprehensive health and safety review is complete, per the posted draft order; no fixed term confirmed
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center, battery storage
• Moratorium ID: tx-austin-county-2026
• Legal basis: Order of Austin County, Texas, Regarding Battery Energy Storage Systems and Data Centers Health and Safety Review, adopted by the Commissioners Court on 2026-07-27 under Texas Health and Safety Code section 121.003 and Texas Local Government Code section 352.016, among other authorities. The signed, executed order was located directly on austincounty.com (distinct from the earlier unsigned draft). It suspends county permit, plan-review, and inspection approvals for BESS and data center construction in unincorporated areas until a 'Comprehensive Health and Safety Review' (covering fire/life-safety, cybersecurity/foreign-adversary equipment verification tied to the Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act and the Governor's Prohibited Technologies List, and an Energy Development Zone siting study) is complete, with the Commissioners Court retaining sole discretion over when that review is finished. It requires County Fire Marshal plan review/approval and an independent third-party engineering evaluation before construction, and authorizes the County's legal counsel to seek injunctive relief against violators.
• What prompted it: Comprehensive health and safety review of AI data centers and battery energy storage systems
• Affected projects: —
• Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23. The Commissioners Court unanimously adopted the signed order on 2026-07-27 following the July 13, 2026 public hearing; KWHI (2026-07-28) independently confirms the unanimous vote and describes the order's scope (equipment-manufacturer audits, an Energy Development Zone siting study by the County Fire Marshal and County Engineer, and injunctive-relief enforcement authority). No fixed term applies; the order remains in effect, by its own terms, until the Commissioners Court (in consultation with the County Fire Marshal) determines the Comprehensive Health and Safety Review is complete. No repeal, rescission, or completion of the review was found in sources reviewed through 2026-09-23. KWHI notes Austin County is 'the second county in Texas to adopt a moratorium of this nature,' after Hill County (which later rescinded its moratorium following a developer lawsuit; see the existing tx-hill-county-2026 row).
• Outcome: —

Brownsville

• Type: City
• Status: 🟡 Pending
• Date enacted: —
• Normalized date: — (unverified)
• Duration: 90 days (once formally adopted)
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: tx-brownsville-undated
• Legal basis: Resolution No. 2026-121 (initiating the moratorium process)
• What prompted it: No existing UDC regulations addressing high-intensity data processing facilities
• Affected projects: None identified
• Detailed status: Pending as of 2026-09-23; the City Commission voted on 2026-09-01 (Resolution No. 2026-121) to direct the city manager to begin the formal process for a 90-day moratorium on high-intensity data processing facilities, private gaming clubs, quick-lube facilities, event centers and self-storage facilities. Under Texas law the moratorium requires three public hearings (30 days between the first and second) before it takes effect, so it had not yet taken effect as of the reference date.
• Outcome: City beginning statutory hearing process required before a moratorium can take effect

Denton

• Type: City
• Status: 🟡 Pending
• Date enacted: Not yet adopted as of 2026-09-23. City Council gave staff direction on a Tuesday (per dentonrc.com, a 4-3 vote) to proceed with a possible moratorium and stricter development-code amendments; held the first of two required public hearings on 2026-09-22 (no vote taken); a second public hearing is scheduled for 2026-10-27, with final Council consideration possible as early as 2026-12-02.
• Normalized date: — (unverified)
• Duration: Proposed 3 months (per Councilmember Suzi Rumohr's public statement)
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: tx-denton-undated
• Legal basis: Not yet adopted; a proposed ordinance following a two-track process (moratorium plus separate development-code amendments) is pending Council hearings.
• What prompted it: grid_energy/infrastructure_capacity: Denton Municipal Electric's transmission system is reported to be operating near capacity, with roughly $300 million in proposed transmission upgrades awaiting an ERCOT response; residents also cited water and community-benefit concerns relative to the roughly $3.5 million in taxes and $9 million in electric ROI/franchise fees existing data centers generate.
• Affected projects: Not specific to a single named project; framed around the cumulative strain of existing and proposed data centers on Denton Municipal Electric's transmission capacity.
• Detailed status: Pending as of 2026-09-23. The Council held the first of two required public hearings on 2026-09-22, at which all 20 public speakers supported the moratorium (some wanting it stronger); no vote was taken. A second public hearing is scheduled for 2026-10-27, and city officials have outlined a process that could bring the proposal back for final Council consideration as early as 2026-12-02. If adopted, the proposed moratorium would temporarily halt the city's acceptance, processing, and approval of new data center development applications (not affecting already-approved projects). [VERIFY instrument number; adoption date; primary source (news-only evidence) not confirmed at confidence 0.6 in the 2026-09 refresh]
• Outcome: Two-track process pending: a possible temporary (about 3-month) moratorium and separate, permanent development-code amendments; first of two required public hearings held 2026-09-22, second scheduled 2026-10-27, possible final vote as early as 2026-12-02.

Fort Worth

• Type: City
• Status: 🟡 Pending
• Date enacted: Not yet adopted as of 2026-09-23. On 2026-08-11 the City Council voted (nearly unanimous, with one abstention/one dissent on related items) to begin the legal process toward a 90-day data center moratorium, alongside creating an 11-member Data Center & Infrastructure Commission (chaired by TCU professor Michael Slattery) and requiring state regulatory approval (per Gov. Abbott's directive) before city permits. Per the timeline city staff presented, two public hearings on the moratorium and two additional ordinance-reading hearings are still required; a Data Center & Infrastructure Commission report is due at a Nov. 3, 2026 work session.
• Normalized date: — (unverified)
• Duration: Proposed 90 days, extendable once by an additional 90 days (to a 180-day maximum); per the city's own timeline as of August 2026, the moratorium itself would not take effect until approximately Feb. 16, 2027 (running to approximately May 17, 2027, extendable to Aug. 15, 2027), after which state law bars the city from imposing another moratorium for two years.
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: tx-fort-worth-undated
• Legal basis: City Council resolution (Aug. 11, 2026) initiating the statutory process toward a data center moratorium ordinance; not yet a moratorium ordinance itself.
• What prompted it: regulatory_gap and specific_project concerns: sustained public pushback over multiple proposed/under-construction data centers within city limits and the ETJ (e.g., a $10 billion project within 300 feet of a resident's historic garden), a Fort Worth Zoning Commission vote against recommending an initial package of data center zoning regulations (July 2026) as rushed, and a directive from five Council members calling for a moratorium.
• Affected projects: Four data centers operational in Fort Worth as of August 2026, one under construction, four more proposed within city limits, and two proposed in the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction; a $10 billion Edged Data Center project in southwest Fort Worth has drawn particular community opposition (cited by the 2871 Community Coalition advocacy group).
• Detailed status: Pending as of 2026-09-23. Fort Worth has not yet adopted a data center moratorium; the Aug. 11, 2026 Council action only began the required legal process (two public hearings plus a two-reading ordinance vote) and created the advisory Data Center & Infrastructure Commission, whose recommendations are due at the council's Nov. 3, 2026 work session. Multiple September 2026 sources (Fort Worth Report, TCU 360, BenbrookLife.com) confirm the moratorium 'is not in place yet.' If the Council ultimately approves it by supermajority following the remaining hearings, city staff's own August 2026 timeline projected the pause would run from approximately Feb. 16, 2027 to May 17, 2027 (extendable to Aug. 15, 2027). [VERIFY instrument number; adoption date; primary source (news-only evidence) not confirmed at confidence 0.65 in the 2026-09 refresh]
• Outcome: Council initiated the legal process toward a 90-day (extendable to 180-day) data center moratorium and created an advisory commission; the moratorium itself, if ultimately adopted, would not take effect until roughly Feb. 2027 per the city's own timeline.

Harlingen

• Type: City
• Status: 🟢 Extended
• Date enacted: 2026-05-20 (Wednesday commission meeting; ValleyCentral's own article, posted 2026-05-21 at 10:43 a.m., states the vote occurred 'During a Wednesday meeting'; May 20, 2026 was a Wednesday). Subsequently extended by an additional 60 days: first reading of the extension ordinance occurred in the commission meeting reported by KRGV on 2026-08-25 ('approved last week'), with a second/final reading approximately two weeks later (late August 2026).
• Normalized date: 2026-05-20 (exact)
• Duration: Initial 120 days from 2026-05-20; City Attorney Mark Sossi described the subsequent 60-day extension (first reading reported ~2026-08-13, second/final reading ~2 weeks later) as 'the maximum extension allowed by law,' bringing the total pause to 180 days. Multiple August 2026 reports describe the extended pause as running 'through December' 2026.
• Current end date: 2026-12-16
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: tx-harlingen-2026
• Legal basis: City commission ordinance
• What prompted it: Precautionary study of potential future data center impacts and modernization of land use regulations; one source (Rio Grande Guardian) noted no data center projects were formally proposed within city limits at the time
• Affected projects: None formally proposed within Harlingen city limits as of the moratorium's adoption, per Rio Grande Guardian reporting
• Detailed status: Active/extended as of 2026-09-23. Before the original 120-day term lapsed, the City Commission gave first reading to a 60-day extension ordinance (reported by KRGV on 2026-08-25 as approved 'last week') and a second/final reading roughly two weeks later, extending the moratorium to the 180-day statutory maximum (through approximately December 2026) while a contracted engineering firm (Ambiotec Engineering) completes a water/wastewater/electrical infrastructure impact study. The moratorium has no effect on the Fluidstack- and Eneus Energy-linked data center projects proposed just outside city limits near the Port of Harlingen/Valley International Airport, since those sites are in unincorporated Cameron County, outside the city's zoning jurisdiction (per Mayor Norma Sepulveda, 2026-09). No numbered city ordinance ('Ordinance No. ___') for either the original moratorium or the extension was located on harlingentx.gov or in news coverage reviewed, so the instrument-number portion of the original VERIFY marker remains open.
• Outcome: 120-day moratorium adopted to study potential data center impacts and modernize land use regulations

Hays County

• Type: County
• Status: 🟢 Active
• Date enacted: 2026-06-23
• Normalized date: 2026-06-23 (exact)
• Duration: 180-day emergency water protection review period, through 2026-12-31 per tracker
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: tx-hays-county-2026
• Legal basis: Hays County Commissioners Court resolution creating an 'emergency water protection review period'
• What prompted it: Water crisis / groundwater resource concerns from rapid data center growth
• Affected projects: None identified
• Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23; Commissioners Court adopted a resolution on 2026-06-23 creating an emergency water-protection review period that pauses approvals for data centers and other high-water-use developments, and creates a review task force. County officials and an attorney for Save Our Springs Alliance both stressed the resolution is deliberately not styled a 'moratorium' (to reduce litigation risk after Hill County's moratorium was rescinded and sued over), even though it functions as a development pause. [VERIFY instrument number; primary source (news-only evidence) not confirmed at confidence 0.6 in the 2026-09 refresh]
• Outcome: County reviewing data center/high-water-use project applications via new task force and checklist

Hill County

• Type: County
• Status: 🔴 Rescinded
• Date enacted: 2026-05-12 (Hill County Commissioners Court approved a 1-year moratorium on data center construction, per KWTX)
• Normalized date: 2026-05-12 (exact)
• Duration: One year (as adopted; rescinded before completing its term)
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: tx-hill-county-2026
• Legal basis: Commissioners Court order
• What prompted it: Development pressure from multiple (reportedly up to eight) proposed data center projects in a rural North Texas county
• Affected projects: Multiple proposed data center projects in Hill County; the specific developer plaintiff in the $100 million lawsuit is described in coverage as 'RCM Hill'
• Detailed status: Rescinded. Following a $100 million federal lawsuit filed by a data center developer (~2026-05-28) alleging the moratorium was illegal, the Hill County Commissioners Court voted to rescind the moratorium on 2026-06-04 and adopted new data center review requirements/policies instead (per KWTX, KCENTV, KXXV, and The Texas Tribune). The developer subsequently dismissed the lawsuit (KWTX, 2026-07-15) after the county's about-face and a settlement of up to $100,000.
• Outcome: One-year moratorium adopted 2026-05-12; rescinded 2026-06-04 under litigation pressure and replaced with new development-review policies

Lavon

• Type: City
• Status: 🟢 Active
• Date enacted: 2026-08-07
• Normalized date: 2026-08-07 (exact)
• Duration: 90 days, extendable for another 90 days
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: tx-lavon-2026
• Legal basis: City of Lavon moratorium ordinance on data center projects
• What prompted it: Proposed hyperscale data center on 79 acres along FM 2755; resident concerns over water/electricity/character
• Affected projects: Proposed hyperscale data center campus on 79 acres along FM 2755 (Elevon master-planned community)
• Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23; City Council unanimously approved a 90-day moratorium on data center projects on 2026-08-07, running to on or about 2026-11-05, with the option to extend for another 90 days.
• Outcome: City studying zoning/infrastructure impacts before allowing new data center applications

League City

• Type: City
• Status: ⚪ Expired
• Date enacted: 2024-03-01 (per BESS tracker)
• Normalized date: 2024-03-01 (unverified)
• Duration: Approximately 3 months (lifted 2024-07-01 per tracker)
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: battery storage
• Moratorium ID: tx-league-city-2024
• Legal basis: City of League City pause/study period on battery energy storage system rezoning applications
• What prompted it: Two proposed BESS rezoning applications (Stella Energy Solutions; Cypress Creek Renewables) drew resident opposition over fire/flood/safety concerns
• Affected projects: Stella Energy Solutions and Cypress Creek Renewables BESS rezoning applications (both ultimately denied by Planning and Zoning Commission)
• Detailed status: Expired. Per the eticaag BESS tracker, League City's pause on battery storage projects ran 2024-03-01 to 2024-07-01 (about 3 months) and has since lifted; the city went on to adopt a BESS ordinance (Chapter 125 of the Code of Ordinances). [VERIFY instrument number; primary source (news-only evidence) not confirmed at confidence 0.55 in the 2026-09 refresh]
• Outcome: City studied and adopted permanent BESS zoning regulations (Chapter 125)

Lubbock

• Type: City
• Status: 🟡 Pending
• Date enacted: 2026-09-23, Lubbock City Council, 5-2 vote (District 6 Councilman Tim Collins and District 4 Councilman Tim Green dissenting), adopting a resolution to begin the process toward a possible 90-day moratorium.
• Normalized date: — (unverified)
• Duration: Proposed 90 days, with a possible optional 90-day extension (would push consideration of a large-scale data center to June 2027 if extended); an 18-month moratorium originally proposed by the citizen 'Save Lubbock' group was deemed not feasible under Texas law.
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: tx-lubbock-undated
• Legal basis: City Council resolution (2026-09-23) initiating the process toward a data center moratorium ordinance, prompted by a citizen petition from the 'Save Lubbock' group; not yet a moratorium ordinance itself.
• What prompted it: regulatory_gap and specific_project concerns, driven by a citizen petition ('Save Lubbock' group led by Stephen Sanders); Council members cited ERCOT grid conditions and a desire to await further state-level guidance/regulation before large-scale data center development proceeds.
• Affected projects: None named as currently pending before the city.
• Detailed status: Pending as of 2026-09-23 (adopted same day as this research date). The Council voted 5-2 to adopt a resolution starting the moratorium process; while the ordinance is drafted, city planning staff are directed to develop guidelines on water use, power reliability, zoning, noise, and lighting for large-scale data centers, and a work session for the Council to be briefed on impacts is to be scheduled within 90 days. No moratorium ordinance has yet been adopted; per Mayor Mark McBrayer, the near-term practical effect is limited since 'no one's coming to Lubbock in the next year anyway with a data center' given current ERCOT conditions. [VERIFY instrument number; adoption date; primary source (news-only evidence) not confirmed at confidence 0.6 in the 2026-09 refresh]
• Outcome: Resolution adopted to begin the legal process toward a possible 90-day (optionally extendable to 180-day) data center moratorium, following a citizen petition campaign; the moratorium ordinance itself has not yet been adopted.

Pasadena

• Type: City
• Status: 🟢 Extended
• Date enacted: 2024 (original 'Commercial Moratorium' on BESS; exact date not located, extended by hearing on 2025-01-06)
• Normalized date: 2024 (year_only)
• Duration: Repeatedly extended
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: battery storage
• Moratorium ID: tx-pasadena-2024
• Legal basis: City of Pasadena Commercial Moratorium on Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) permits, extended by council action including a 2025-01-06 public hearing
• What prompted it: City studying BESS siting/safety regulations
• Affected projects: None identified
• Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23 per the eticaag BESS tracker (expiring October 2026); City Council has held at least one public hearing (2025-01-06) on extending its moratorium on issuance of permits for placement/installation of BESS facilities. [VERIFY instrument number not confirmed at confidence 0.6 in the 2026-09 refresh]
• Outcome: City continuing to study/regulate BESS siting

Source: moratorium_inventory.csv · Methodology · Codebook.

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