A data center is coming. Now what?

A step-by-step checklist built from what has worked, and what has backfired, in counties across Texas. Check items off as you go. Your progress is saved in this browser only.

From Ground Truth Texas, by Grail Systems and the East Texas Legacy Coalition.

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1. Find out what it really is

Search state building filingsThe TDLR TABS database lists big commercial projects with owner, address, cost and start date, often before construction. Search by county.
Look up the landYour county appraisal district shows who owns the parcel. Watch for unfamiliar LLCs; big companies often use shell names.
Check for power plants and generatorsSearch TCEQ air permits near the site. A gas or generator permit on rural land is a red flag.
Check the grid queue and the tax exemption listERCOT's large-load reports show power requests. The Texas Comptroller lists data centers registered for the sales tax exemption.
Read every agendaCommissioners court, city council, groundwater district, water utility and appraisal board. Look for tax abatements, payments in lieu of taxes, road agreements, road closures, rezonings, annexations and nondisclosure agreements.

2. Find out who decides

Is the site inside a city or its extraterritorial jurisdiction?Cities have zoning power counties lack. San Marcos banned data centers through zoning; Tyler denied a bitcoin mine rezoning.
Who sells the water?A city, water district or utility can pause large new commitments. That's how Cedar Creek Lake was saved.
What does your groundwater district control?Ask whether water sold through a city or utility system is exempt from its rules. In some districts, it is.
What does the county have to approve?Abatements, PILOTs, road-use agreements and development plans. Each is a chance to require protections.
Does your county have a special law of its own?Hood County has a 1999 state law protecting the Lake Granbury watershed. Ask your county attorney.

3. Get the records

File public information requestsAsk the county, city, water provider and groundwater district for agreements, water requests, correspondence and studies. The Angelina County Watch page has a free request builder.
Track the deadlinesAgencies have 10 business days to release records, certify a date or ask the Attorney General. See how we track ours on the Records page.
Ask what officials have signedLetters of support, nondisclosure agreements and letters of intent. A judge's letter can turn up in a press release as an endorsement.

4. Measure before it starts

Record a baselineDated photos from public roads, sound readings at night, and private well water levels. Hard to argue with later.
Ask for a professional sound studyHood County funded one near a bitcoin mine, even without noise authority.
Never trespassPhotograph from public roads only. Protect your credibility.

5. Ask for protections in writing

Bring the Deep East Texas Standard16 conditions and 8 county actions, free to copy into your own letter.
Cite the Governor's own standardsClosed-loop cooling, yearly water and power reporting, no costs shifted to household bills. They are hard to call extreme.
Use the state freezeSince August 2026, the state has paused data center grid approvals and TCEQ permits pending audits. There's no reason for local officials to move faster than the state.
Be careful with moratoriumsHill County was sued for $100M and backed down in weeks. Contract terms and abatement guidelines are safer ground.
Get every promise in a binding agreementA $15M grant offer or a jobs estimate in a press release is not a contract.

6. Organize

Show up, and bring neighborsPacked meetings turned votes in San Marcos and Somervell County.
Recruit people downstreamCedar Creek Lake serves Fort Worth. When your water feeds a bigger city, that city is an ally.
Reach both partiesLawmakers from both parties have raised concerns. This isn't a partisan fight.
Join the networkGet your county on the map and connect with others who've faced the same companies. Start here.

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This is a public advocacy guide, not legal advice.