Fulshear, TX Data Centers & Crypto Mining: Data Center Zoning & Siting (2026)
Key Facts
- Zoning status
- No dedicated data-center use category
- Who decides
- City administrator, case by case
- Review criteria
- Traffic, emissions, noise, hazards, hours
- If not comparable
- Use is prohibited citywide
- Max fine
- $2,000 per day, per § 1-17
Summary
Fulshear's zoning code has no dedicated data center use category, so the city administrator decides case by case whether a proposed facility matches a listed use, and can prohibit it outright if it doesn't.
If a proposed use is not specified in article II, division 2, zoning districts, the administrator shall make a determination as to whether the use is either a subcategory or functionally similar to a specifically identified use. ... If the administrator determines that a proposed use is not a subcategory of, or functionally similar to a listed use then the use is a prohibited use.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4849270; v4 updated 2026-05-19).
Full Breakdown
The Coordinated Development Ordinance's use tables in article II, division 2 don't list "data center" as a use type. When a proposed use isn't specified there, § 28-2-20 puts the administrator in charge of deciding whether it's a subcategory of, or functionally similar to, a listed use, weighing parking demand, trip generation, impervious surface, emissions, noise, lighting, dust, odors, solid waste, hazardous materials, and hours of operation. The administrator can refer a close call to the planning and zoning commission. If a data center isn't found comparable to any listed use, it becomes a prohibited use citywide, with no CDO pathway to site it. Adopted by Ord. No. 2020-1331.
Violations & Fines
Operating an unauthorized use invites zoning enforcement under the city's general penalty: a fine up to $2,000, with each day of the violation a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Fulshear have a zoning district that allows data centers by right?
Can the city just reject a data center proposal outright?
What factors decide whether a data center counts as a similar use?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fulshear
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Fulshear to another location·View the Texas data centers & crypto mining overview
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