Montgomery County, Alabama
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 53% of Montgomery County's mapped land, a higher share than 92% of US counties and the 2nd highest of 67 Alabama counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 51%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, after 16.8% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 77 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 52% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1979.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Montgomery County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 52.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 51.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 93.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 52.5% |
| Mapped soil | 506,817 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Sumter | 10% | n/a |
| Boswell | 9% | n/a |
| Oktibbeha | 8% | n/a |
| Vaiden | 4% | n/a |
| Una | 4% | n/a |
| Leeper | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas AL101 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.8% by land area here, and 53% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 53% of the mapped land.
On 51% of Montgomery County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 40.51 in, 12.06 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 52.57 in.
USDA rates 94% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 37 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 31 weeks, most recently on the June 2, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 64.2% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
77 flood losses since 2016, $1.7 million paid. The worst year was 2017, with 25. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 98% slabs, 2% crawl spaces. Median water depth outside the building: 8 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 |
| 2017 | 25 |
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 8 |
| 2020 | 6 |
| 2021 | 8 |
| 2022 | 9 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 8 |
| 2025 | 3 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 52.57 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 40.51 in (-12.06) |
| 2025 | 52.78 in (+0.21) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1929: 76.54 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1954: 26.50 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MONTGOMERY AP (14 mi away) | 16.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 106,121 |
| Median year built | 1979 |
| Built before 1980 | 52% |
| Built 2000 or later | 20% |
| Owner-occupied | 58% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $171,900 |
| Single-family detached | 70% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowndes County, AL | 26 mi | 55% | 41% |
| Elmore County, AL | 27 mi | 2% | 30% |
| Bullock County, AL | 29 mi | 37% | 42% |
| Pike County, AL | 32 mi | 4% | 26% |
| Macon County, AL | 32 mi | 18% | 47% |
| Crenshaw County, AL | 33 mi | 10% | 32% |
| Autauga County, AL | 34 mi | under 1% | 27% |
| Butler County, AL | 42 mi | 14% | 30% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 10, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status