Baird, Texas
Inside Baird's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 59% of mapped land, the 4th-highest of 4 cities in Callahan County. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
That clay share is close to Callahan County's 60%. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 79504 overlapping the city. Of its 822 homes, 82% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1952.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Callahan County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Baird
Foundation repair in Baird: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 59% of Baird's mapped land, more than in 65% of Texas cities.
About 700 of Baird's 822 homes are detached houses.
| Who designs the repair | The ASCE Texas Section's repair guidelines say a Texas-licensed engineer should evaluate the foundation and design the repair (2022 guidelines) |
| Prices | Cost guide ranges compared |
Soil under Baird city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 59.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 45.3% |
| Mapped soil | 1,746 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Throck | 17% | n/a |
| Frio | 16% | n/a |
| Rowden | 12% | n/a |
| Leeray | 11% | n/a |
| Sagerton | 10% | 88% |
| Speck | 6% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.3% by land area here, and 45% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 59% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Callahan County is in drought on the latest map, and 59% of Baird's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 83% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Callahan County
100% of Callahan County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Baird. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79504 | 100% | 2 | $930 |
Homes in Baird
| Housing units | 822 |
| Median year built | 1952 |
| Built before 1980 | 82% |
| Built 2000 or later | 9% |
| Owner-occupied | 70% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $76,800 |
| Single-family detached | 83% |
Nearby cities
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status