With the advance in information technology (IT) in the last few decades, IT governance (ITG) has become essential to the success of modern organizations. ITG is defined as the process of ensuring that IT is used effectively and efficiently to drive the organization towards its goals and objectives. Many prior research studies acknowledged the importance of formal ITG practices as it has substantial effects on an organization's productivity and competitiveness. However, not many organizations have successfully adopted formal ITG practices, especially in developing countries. Furthermore, empirical studies that have investigated the adoption of formal ITG practices in the public sector are limited. Thus, this research aims to investigate the factors that hinder the adoption of formal ITG practices in the public sector. The research employs Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) as underpinnings theoretical framework. It uses a quantitative approach to survey the IT professionals in the public sector of Oman on their perspective of the factors that hinder the adoption of formal ITG practices and the response rate was 80.1%. The study findings have shown that complexity, lack of top management support, and consultant ineffectiveness are the main factors that impede the adoption of formal ITG practices in the public sector of Oman. This study might be of value to researchers in ITG adoption as well as to practitioners who are planning to adopt formal ITG practices.