San Marcos City Council voted 4 to 3 to define data centers in its land development code and make them ineligible citywide
The San Marcos City Council voted on June 16th, 2026 to define data centers in the city's zoning rules and make them ineligible for development anywhere inside the city. Council members cited concern that the facilities would draw water and energy away from the local community. The vote came after a long fight over a proposed campus and is the first ban of its kind by a Texas city. The city adopted an amended Land Development Code on the same date under ORD-2026-08, effective that day.
How to take part
The decision is made. The adopted Land Development Code, the adopted redlines and the code update summary guide are posted on the city's Code Updates page. Further amendments run through the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council on the published 2026 meeting calendar.
Where
1 county. In Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos.
Timeline
- ordered
council vote of 4 to 3 to make data centers ineligible in every zoning district
- effective
adoption and effective date of the amended Land Development Code, ORD-2026-08
- Today
How this decision moved
One dated line per check, oldest first. A line that says nothing changed means somebody looked and it had not.
- 2026-08-19
The council's data center definition is unconfirmed against the city's own code page. That page records the amended Land Development Code adopted June 16th with 283 amendments and names no data center provision among them.
- 2026-08-22
The council's data center definition is still unconfirmed against the city's own code page. That page still records the amended Land Development Code adopted June 16th and still names no data center amendment.
- 2026-08-26
Checked and unchanged. The zoning definition that makes data centers ineligible anywhere in the city still stands and the council member's account of the debate is still published. Both quotes are corrected to the sentences the source actually prints.
- 2026-08-29
Checked and unchanged. Data centers are still defined in the city's land development code and still ineligible anywhere inside San Marcos. No later council action softens the amendment.
- 2026-09-01
San Marcos's citywide exclusion of data centers remains in its adopted land-development rules.
- 2026-09-02
Checked and unchanged. The decision still stands as decided.
- 2026-09-05
San Marcos still defines data centers in its land development code and still makes them ineligible across the city. The vote has not been revisited.
- 2026-09-08
San Marcos still defines data centers in its land development code and still makes them ineligible everywhere in the city.
- 2026-09-09
San Marcos still defines a data center in its land development code and still makes one a conditional use. The narrow vote that put it there has not been revisited.
- 2026-09-12
Checked and unchanged. The decision still stands as decided.
- 2026-09-13
Checked and unchanged. The decision still stands as decided.
- 2026-09-16
The San Marcos definition still stands and data centers are still ineligible across the city under it. The narrow margin has not been revisited.
- 2026-09-19
Data centers are still defined in the land development code and still ineligible across the city.
- 2026-09-23
San Marcos still has a definition of a data center in its land code and still allows one nowhere.
- 2026-09-26
San Marcos still defines a data center in its land development code and still permits one in no district.
- 2026-09-29
Under the San Marcos land development code a data center is still a defined use permitted in no district.
The evidence
Every fact above rests on one of these. The words are the source's own.
San Marcos City Council voted 4-3 on June 16 to define data centers and make them ineligible for any part of the city in its zoning laws, citing concerns that these developments would funnel water and energy resources from the local community.San Marcos becomes the first Texas city to ban data centers, testing its local control | KSAT Journalism · ksat.com
The promised benefits remained speculative while many of the concerns raised by residents remained unresolved.San Marcos becomes the first Texas city to ban data centers, testing its local control | KSAT Journalism · ksat.com
The City of San Marcos updated the Land Development Code (LDC) and Design Manual which together guides how the city grows and develops.Code Updates | City of San Marcos, TX Primary source, official · sanmarcostx.gov
Questions about this decision
Answered from the record itself. Every answer is assembled from stored fields, so an answer the record has no basis for is left out rather than guessed.
What is this decision?
The San Marcos City Council voted on June 16th, 2026 to define data centers in the city's zoning rules and make them ineligible for development anywhere inside the city. Council members cited concern that the facilities would draw water and energy away from the local community. The vote came after a long fight over a proposed campus and is the first ban of its kind by a Texas city. The city adopted an amended Land Development Code on the same date under ORD-2026-08, effective that day.
Who decides it?
San Marcos City Council decides. The record names the deciding body for every entry it carries.
Can the public take part?
The decision is made. The adopted Land Development Code, the adopted redlines and the code update summary guide are posted on the city's Code Updates page. Further amendments run through the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council on the published 2026 meeting calendar. No dated public window is on the record. The deciding body is named and reachable.
Where in Texas does it apply?
It covers Hays County in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX area.
Has it been decided?
It has been decided. The dates on the item page carry when.
What happens next?
No future date is on the record. The last dated step on it was effective on June 16th.
When did it start?
The earliest date on its record is June 16th, 2026.
What kind of decision is it?
It is filed under land, water and permitting.
What sources back it?
Two sources back it. One of them is primary.
Is it on the ERCOT grid?
Yes. It sits inside the ERCOT interconnection.
When was it last checked?
Every fact on it was last verified against its source on September 29th, 2026.
Cite this
Texas AI Docket, San Marcos City Council voted 4 to 3 to define data centers in its land development code and make them ineligible citywide. Tracked since June 16th, 2026. Last verified September 29th, 2026. https://texasaidocket.com/item/tx-2026-0061/. Reuse permitted under CC BY 4.0 with attribution. The same entry is in the docket JSON as item tx-2026-0061.
Beat
Filed under Land, water and permitting, with every other decision on that beat.