Local ordinance
Hill County — Data Center Pause, Adopted Then Repealed
Where it stands
Lifecycle
- ✓
Proposed
Brought before the city or county as a proposed ordinance.
- ✓
Hearing
Studied with public input on its local impact.
- ✓
Vote
Put to a vote by the council or commissioners court.
- 4
Adopted — Repealed hereMay 12, 2026
Approved and in effect locally.
Adopted May 2026, repealed June 5, 2026 under a $100M developer lawsuit.
What it does
Hill County adopted a one-year pause on new data center construction in May 2026, citing water use, power demand, noise, and public safety. Weeks later, on June 5, 2026, the commissioners repealed the pause after a developer, RCM Hill, LLC, sued for $100 million — arguing it held contracts to buy more than 800 acres for over $80 million and that the county had exceeded its lawful powers. In place of the blanket pause, the county adopted a checklist of requirements for data center developers, which the county judge said draws its authority from existing state statutes.
Why it matters
The reversal is a real-world test of how much power a rural Texas county actually has to slow data center development — and of how quickly the threat of a developer lawsuit can push a county from a broad moratorium to a narrower, statute-based review.
Last action: Pause repealed; developer checklist adopted · June 5, 2026
Summary is our own words, for general information only and not legal advice. The stages shown reflect the standard Texas legislative process; follow the link above for the official record.