Between Austin and San Antonio, in a multiyear drought over the Edwards Aquifer, Hays County residents turned out by the hundreds against data centers. In June 2026, San Marcos became the first city in Texas to ban them.
Compiled by Grail Systems from news reports and public records. Checked Oct 31, 2026. Corrections welcome.
About 200 acres at 904 Francis Harris Lane. The City Council denied the rezoning 5-2 in February 2026 after hundreds protested inside and outside city hall.
At least two data centers have been proposed in unincorporated Hays County near the city's borders, and local water advocates count about five potential projects in the area.
Its first comprehensive water study since 2011.
The vote was 5-2 after an overflow crowd.
County attorneys warned it would almost certainly bring a lawsuit.
Denied an agreement with a 340-acre development over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone.
Voted 4-3 to prohibit them in every zoning district, the first Texas city to do so. A state senator vowed a legal challenge.
A non-binding resolution pausing consideration of high-water-use developments, including data centers.
Zoning power let San Marcos ban data centers outright. Find out whether a site is inside a city or its extraterritorial jurisdiction.
San Marcos changed its zoning rules rather than pausing permits, which it argues puts it on firmer legal ground.
A county without zoning power can still commission a water study, and the facts it finds shape every decision after.
Hundreds of residents at city hall turned a rezoning vote.
Texas Tribune (June 30, 2026); KSAT; Community Impact; KUT; The Real Deal; Hoodline.