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Balch Springs, Texas
Inside Balch Springs' city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 45% of mapped land, higher than 53% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on 34%, the highest of 24 cities in Dallas County.
That clay share is below Dallas County's 51%. FEMA's flood data list 27 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 9,110 homes, 37% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1990.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Dallas County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 2 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Balch Springs
Foundation repair in Balch Springs: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 45% of Balch Springs' mapped land, more than in 53% of Texas cities.
About 6,300 of Balch Springs' 9,110 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 Balch Springs city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 45.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 33.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 87.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 8.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 76.8% |
| Urban land, not rated | 3.8% |
| Mapped soil | 5,828 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 8.5% by land area here, and 77% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 45% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Dallas County is in drought on the latest map, and 45% of Balch Springs' mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 34% of Balch Springs' mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 87% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Dallas County
100% of Dallas 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 Balch Springs. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75180 | 86% | 26 | $1.7 million |
| 75181 | 12% | 1 | $75,333 |
Homes in Balch Springs
| Housing units | 9,110 |
| Median year built | 1990 |
| Built before 1980 | 37% |
| Built 2000 or later | 36% |
| Owner-occupied | 65% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $224,400 |
| Single-family detached | 69% |
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