A dispute lasting 4 years between the residents of the rural area of Hood County and a nearby Bitcoin mining company has highlighted the social costs of the growth of the crypto sector in Texas. Homeowners have revolted against one of the largest digital asset miners in the state.
At the center of the conflict is a large Bitcoin mining farm operated by MARA Holdings near Granbury, in an unincorporated area of Hood County.
Bitcoin mining becomes a continuous mental torture
Neighbors complain of a constant low-frequency hum from the facility's cooling systems, which has turned daily life into what they describe as a continuous suffering. MARA (formerly Marathon Digital) claims to operate in compliance with the law, to bring investment and jobs, and to have already taken measures to reduce noise. The mining farm began operating in 2022 next to a natural gas plant near Granbury. Residents have reported incessant noise every day and at all hours, comparing it to “being on a runway” or “on the edge of Niagara Falls.” Complaints have increased during 2023, with the expansion of the facility.
“This is a sound that hits me every day when I walk out the back door,” a resident told Al Jazeera in a recent report. Others described sleepless nights, headaches, and stress. “The community is sick,” another resident said. “This isn’t just noise, it’s a physical bombardment. It’s torture.”
The crypto boom in Texas meets local limits
Texas has become the largest Bitcoin mining hub in the United States, hosting nearly 30% of the national computing power in 2023, attracted by low-cost land, reduced taxes, and a deregulated energy market. However, this growth has collided with a fundamental legal reality. Texas counties typically cannot enact effective anti-noise ordinances. Only cities can do so.
Hood County officials attempted to invoke state laws on “unreasonable noise” in 2024, issuing fines for exceeding certain decibel levels.
However, the attempt stalled in court, revealing how limited these regulations are compared to typical municipal noise regulations.
Legal challenges and reliable studies
Residents organized and filed a lawsuit for private nuisance in state court, arguing that the noise and vibrations from the mining facility significantly hinder the use of their homes.
The lawsuit is still ongoing, amidst disputes over access to operational data and measurements.
Aside from that, Hood County commissioned an independent acoustic study at the end of 2024. The report found elevated sound levels near the facility and pointed out that the legal limit set by criminal law is much more permissive than the city standards applied elsewhere.
The study also noted limitations in access and coordination, which prevented a full assessment of the situation in all operational conditions.
MARA claims to have invested heavily to reduce the impact on the community. The company has built a large sound barrier, replaced some fans with quieter models, and begun converting some areas of the site to liquid immersion cooling systems.
In a statement cited by Al Jazeera, MARA claimed to have invested over $320 million locally, to support dozens of jobs, to generate tax revenue, and to want to “remain committed to being a good neighbor.”
For residents, however, these interventions have not been sufficient.
“This was supposed to be our home forever,” said one homeowner. “I can’t sell my property. Now I pay more taxes than the house is actually worth.”
A failed attempt to become a city
In 2025, residents attempted a desperate strategy: they wanted to establish their own community as a city in order to enact local noise regulations.
The initiative drew national attention and legal challenges from MARA, but a judge nonetheless allowed the issue to go to a vote. In the end, however, voters rejected the incorporation proposal, putting an end to the attempt to gain municipal powers.
“That was the plan,” an organizer told Al Jazeera. “But it simply collapsed because we lost that battle.”
With incorporation now off the table, residents state that they will continue to fight in court.
