Starbase, Texas, a company town established by SpaceX less than a year ago, is moving to establish its own municipal court, as part of its rapid build-out of municipal infrastructure.
The city administration has submitted a proposed ordinance to the city commission to create a court featuring a part-time judge, prosecutor, and court clerk. Until a judge is formally appointed to a two-year term, the mayor will serve in that capacity. The city administrator expressed hope of having a candidate ready for the position by next month’s meeting.
The proposed court is the latest development in Starbase’s infrastructure expansion. The city, which currently claims approximately 580 residents, already operates a volunteer fire department and has begun handling its own building permits and fire code inspections. Following the collapse of a plan to contract the Cameron County Sheriff’s Department for patrols, Starbase is establishing its own police force.
According to paperwork filed ahead of the recent city commission meeting, the city is still paying the Cameron County Sheriff’s Department to utilize its jail facilities while it stands up the new Starbase Police Department. The process to establish the police department is ongoing and is expected to take around six months.
An application submitted to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement revealed details regarding the necessity of these expanding services. The city cited an increasing population and a surge in daily traffic as primary drivers for the need for dedicated public safety personnel. In 2025, the city recorded 420 law enforcement calls, 180 fire service calls, and 140 EMS calls. The area also documented 353 crashes last year. Highway 4, the main artery in and out of Starbase, sees over 7,000 vehicles traveling on it daily.
The city wrote in the application that the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office has been unable to “guarantee dedicated law enforcement coverage for Starbase.” The city’s remote geographic location requires rapid and reliable response times, and the lack of guaranteed coverage has “raised significant concerns among residents and city leadership.”
Justifications for expanding public safety services include high median household incomes, rising property values, and the growing volume of SpaceX launches, which draw tourists to the area. The city also noted a “substantial governmental interest in ensuring the integrity of spaceflight operations occurring within its jurisdiction.”
