Round Rock says its zoning has no rule for drone delivery hubs, so it will test one with Zipline inside city limits first
Zipline's first Austin-area hub sits just outside Round Rock's city limits. The city says it can control where hubs go but not where drones fly, and it is working with Zipline on a second hub behind Renaissance Square to shape future rules.
By Joel Kelly
More onDrone delivery
Decision brief
Cities cannot set drone flight paths, but they can decide where hubs go. Round Rock's first hub opened where city zoning does not reach, and the city plans to write its rules after watching a second one inside city limits. If you live near a planned hub, land use is where you have a say: siting, setbacks, and noise near homes. Flight paths are the FAA's call.
- First hub
- 3000 E. Palm Valley Blvd.
- Service area
- About 3 miles
- Next
- Renaissance Square
In Round Rock's extraterritorial jurisdiction, outside city limits
Per the city, citing Zipline; may expand
Proposed in-city hub along northbound I-35, used to shape future rules
The hubs
One just outside city limits, one proposed inside.
The City of Round Rock, Texas, has posted a resident guide to drone delivery, last updated October 9, the day Zipline opened orders in the area. The guide says Zipline operates from a facility at 3000 E. Palm Valley Blvd. That site is in Round Rock's extraterritorial jurisdiction, outside city limits. Citing the company, the city says service covers eligible customers within three miles of the site and may expand.
The city says drone hubs, where drones are stored, launched, and recharged, are not specifically addressed in its current zoning ordinances. It is working with Zipline to allow a proposed hub inside city limits, at the rear of the Renaissance Square shopping center along northbound I-35. The city says that site will let it evaluate drone delivery and its impacts, and help it write rules for future hubs inside city limits.
Who decides what
The city controls the ground. The FAA controls the air.
The guide draws the same line other cities have run into. FAA rules and state law keep the city from regulating flight paths or banning drones, the city says, so it does not decide where drones fly. It can regulate land use and zoning inside city limits, including keeping hubs away from homes to limit noise. The city sends noise and nuisance complaints to Zipline, at 855-947-5163 or response-team@flyzipline.com, and suspected FAA violations to the FAA.
Context
Privacy law, Colorado's pause, and the FAA's Texas review.
The guide also points residents to Texas Government Code Chapter 423. It makes using a drone to capture an image of a person or private property with intent to conduct surveillance a Class C misdemeanor, and it lets property owners and tenants sue for civil penalties. Colorado towns took a different route this summer and paused new hub approvals while they wrote rules. Zipline's Texas growth is also before the FAA, which took comments through October 11 on a draft environmental assessment covering five Texas metros, Austin among them.
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