Lubbock starts the procedure for a 90 day data center moratorium after the 18 month petition fails
The Lubbock City Council held a public hearing on September 8th, 2026 on a citizen petition brought under the city charter. The petition asked for an 18 month moratorium on high water use and high energy use data centers inside the city. The same agenda carried a separate resolution stating the council's desire that large scale data centers not be developed inside the municipal limits. On September 22nd, 2026 the council began the procedure to adopt a 90 day moratorium. It would cover rezoning, building permit and annexation requests tied to large scale data centers. The petition's 18 month version failed without a second. The moratorium is not in force yet. It needs two public hearings before it can be declared.
How to take part
The council meets in open session at Citizens Tower and posts its agendas at its agenda center. The moratorium needs two public hearings before it can be declared, and a resident can speak at each.
Where
1 county. In Lubbock.
Timeline
- hearing
Public hearing on the charter petition, and the resolution taken up beside it
- ordered
The council began the procedure for a 90 day moratorium, and the 18 month petition failed without a second
- 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.
- 2026-09-09
Admitted on the council's own agenda for the hearing. The resolution states a desire and no ordinance has followed it.
- 2026-09-12
The Lubbock resolution still states a desire and no ordinance has followed it. The council agenda that carried the petition reads as it did.
- 2026-09-13
The council's own agenda for the hearing still carries the moratorium as a public hearing and the resolution as a separate item expressing a desire. No ordinance has followed it.
- 2026-09-16
Lubbock's council has still only heard the petition for a moratorium and has adopted nothing binding on data centers. Nothing further has been scheduled.
- 2026-09-19
The council has taken no action on the petition, so the moratorium it asks for is still nobody's proposal.
- 2026-09-24
Whether the council has acted on the petition is unconfirmed this run. The city's own agenda could not be read again.
- 2026-09-26
The council began the procedure for a 90 day moratorium on data center rezoning, permits and annexation, and the petition's 18 month version failed without a second. The moratorium still needs two public hearings before it takes hold.
- 2026-09-29
Lubbock's moratorium procedure is under way, and the council has not yet held the hearings it requires before a pause takes effect.
- 2026-10-02
Lubbock's council papers still carry the first step toward a data center moratorium. A local news account of the vote bars automated readers.
- 2026-10-05
Lubbock's September 8th agenda record still carries the failed petition and the council's resolution. The 90 day moratorium still needs its public hearings before it takes effect.
- 2026-10-08
The public radio account of Lubbock's first step toward a pause still reads as cited. The city's own agenda record is unconfirmed, because the city's site refused the request.
- 2026-10-09
The published accounts of Lubbock's first step toward a pause still read as cited. The city's own agenda refused the request, so its record is unconfirmed.
- 2026-10-14
The public radio account still reads as cited, with the pause started and not yet declared. The city's own agenda record and the television station's report are unconfirmed, since the city's site refused the request and the station's site bars automated readers.
- 2026-10-17
Public radio's account still has Lubbock's pause started and not yet declared. The city's own agenda record and the television report are unconfirmed, since the city's site refused the request and the station bars automated readers.
- 2026-10-20
Public radio's account still reads as a pause Lubbock has begun and not yet declared, with hearings to come. The city's agenda record and the station report remain unconfirmed.
- 2026-10-23
Public radio's account and the city's agenda record are unconfirmed today, since the city's site refused the request. The record still holds Lubbock's pause as begun and not yet declared.
- 2026-10-24
Lubbock's procedure toward a data center moratorium is unconfirmed today, since the city's agenda refused the request and the station's site bars automated readers.
The evidence
Every fact above rests on one of these. The words are the source's own.
Public Hearing - City Secretary: Conduct a public hearing in accordance with Chapter 1, Article IV, Section 1 of the City of Lubbock Charter, regarding an "18-month moratorium on high-water-use and high-energy-use data centers in the City of Lubbock, Lubbock County, Texas."City of Lubbock, Regular City Council Meeting agenda, September 8th, 2026 Primary source, official · mylubbock.us
Resolution - City Council: Consider a resolution expressing the City Council's desire that large-scale data centers not be developed within the municipal limits of the City of Lubbock, until the City Council has adopted regulations protecting public resources and the public health and safety.City of Lubbock, Regular City Council Meeting agenda, September 8th, 2026 Primary source, official · mylubbock.us
I don't want an 18-month moratorium. I want us to collectively say no to this.Fox 34, Lubbock City Council passes non binding resolution regarding data centers within city limits Journalism · fox34.com
In its Tuesday meeting, Lubbock's city council initiated the procedure to adopt a 90-day moratorium "on the acceptance, processing, and/or approval of any applications for rezoning, building permits, or any request for annexation related to the development of large-scale data centers."Texas Public Radio, Lubbock takes first step toward data center moratorium Journalism · tpr.org
The 18-month moratorium did not go to an official vote from the council, as it failed without a second.Texas Public Radio, Lubbock takes first step toward data center moratorium Journalism · tpr.org
Before the moratorium can be officially declared, it needs to go through two public hearings and is expected to take another 90 days before officially kicking in.Texas Public Radio, Lubbock takes first step toward data center moratorium Journalism · tpr.org
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 Lubbock City Council held a public hearing on September 8th, 2026 on a citizen petition brought under the city charter. The petition asked for an 18 month moratorium on high water use and high energy use data centers inside the city. The same agenda carried a separate resolution stating the council's desire that large scale data centers not be developed inside the municipal limits. On September 22nd, 2026 the council began the procedure to adopt a 90 day moratorium. It would cover rezoning, building permit and annexation requests tied to large scale data centers. The petition's 18 month version failed without a second. The moratorium is not in force yet. It needs two public hearings before it can be declared.
Who decides it?
Lubbock City Council decides. The record names the deciding body for every entry it carries.
Can the public take part?
The council meets in open session at Citizens Tower and posts its agendas at its agenda center. The moratorium needs two public hearings before it can be declared, and a resident can speak at each.
Where in Texas does it apply?
It covers Lubbock County in the Lubbock, TX area.
Has it been decided?
It is pending. No final decision is on the record.
What happens next?
No future date is on the record. The last dated step on it was ordered on September 22nd.
When did it start?
The earliest date on its record is September 8th, 2026.
What kind of decision is it?
It is filed under data centers.
What sources back it?
Three 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 October 20th, 2026.
Cite this
Texas AI Docket, Lubbock starts the procedure for a 90 day data center moratorium after the 18 month petition fails. Tracked since September 8th, 2026. Last verified October 20th, 2026. https://texasaidocket.com/item/tx-2026-0138/. Reuse permitted under CC BY 4.0 with attribution. The same entry is in the docket JSON as item tx-2026-0138.
Beat
Filed under Data centers, with every other decision on that beat.