SpaceX’s Texas town, Starbase, isn’t even a year old, but it already has its own volunteer fire department and is working to create a police department. Now he wants his own yard too.
Starbase’s city administrator presented a draft ordinance to the city commission at Wednesday’s meeting that would create a city court with a part-time judge, prosecutor and clerk of court. The Mayor of Starbase will serve as a judge until one is appointed for a two-year term. The administrator wrote that he hopes to have a candidate ready for next month’s meeting.
The creation of the court within Starbase, which currently claims about 580 residents and sits adjacent to the SpaceX rocket and launcher factory in South Texas, is the latest in a series of steps the city has taken to build its own utilities.
In addition to the volunteer fire brigade, Starbase now also handles its own building permits and fire code inspections. And when a plan to hire local sheriff’s deputies to patrol the city fell apart, the city decided to set up the Starbase Police Department instead. (However, the city still pays the Cameron County Sheriff’s Department to use its jail facilities, according to documents submitted before Wednesday’s hearing.)
Starbase is still in the process of establishing a police department, and it is expected that this process could take approximately six months.
During Wednesday’s meeting, the City Commission reviewed a request from the Texas Law Enforcement Commission, which is required to stand up to the police force. The app has revealed some new details about plans for the new Starbase Police Department.
The city wrote that its expanding population has led to an increase in calls for service. During 2025, there were 420 police calls, 180 fire calls and 140 EMS calls in the city, the app says. There were also 353 accidents documented in the area last year, with more than 7,000 vehicles traveling on Highway 4 – the main artery to and from Starbase – every day.
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The Cameron County Sheriff’s Office was unable to “guarantee dedicated coverage for Starbase,” the city wrote, and Starbase’s remote geographic location “requires a rapid and reliable” response. “These restrictions have raised significant concerns among residents and city officials,” the city wrote.
“The unique combination of state-of-the-art technology and coastal charm coupled with high median household incomes and rising property values drives expectations for municipal services, particularly public safety,” the city wrote in the application. The city was also sure to point out that SpaceX launches, which are expected to increase dramatically in the coming years, are attracting many tourists to the area. “Furthermore, the City has a substantial governmental interest in ensuring the integrity of space flight operations conducted within its jurisdiction,” the request states.