Portal Texas Used to 'Rubber Stamp' Data Centers Down After 404 Media Reporting

Texas abruptly took its automated construction-permit portal offline and suspended 17 data-center-related construction permits after reporting revealed the system kept issuing approvals despite a gubernatorial pause on new data-center projects. The portal returned a 404 error and displayed a message saying automatic authorizations were halted so agency staff could manually review applications to determine whether they relate to data centers. Before the shutdown, multiple permits moved from “active” to “suspended” in the state registry; filings tied to major firms were among those flagged, and the agency did not respond to requests for comment.

The suspended permissions involved stormwater construction approvals, which allow contractors to raise and level ground and are often a critical late-stage step for large builds. Advocates and researchers said the automated system had effectively been “rubber stamping” construction approvals even after the pause and welcomed the shift to more involved human review, while warning that contractors accustomed to automatic sign-offs may be unaware of the suspension and that work at some hyperscale facilities could be proceeding. The episode exposes gaps in automated oversight and prompted an unprecedented temporary halt to electronic authorizations.