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Bandera, Texas
Inside Bandera's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 56% of mapped land, higher than 63% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
That clay share is above Bandera County's 17%. FEMA's flood data list 14 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 78003 overlapping the city. Of its 367 homes, 45% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1986.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Bandera 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 Bandera
Foundation repair in Bandera: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 56% of Bandera's mapped land, more than in 63% of Texas cities.
About 300 of Bandera's 367 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 Bandera city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 56.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 88.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 56.5% |
| Mapped soil | 733 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Nuvalde | 33% | n/a |
| Anhalt | 23% | n/a |
| Boerne | 15% | n/a |
| Oakalla | 8% | n/a |
| Orif | 6% | n/a |
| Kerrville | 3% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.5% by land area here, and 56% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 56% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 2% of Bandera County is in drought on the latest map, and 56% of Bandera's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 88% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Bandera County
2% of Bandera 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 Bandera. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78003 | 100% | 14 | $678,493 |
Homes in Bandera
| Housing units | 367 |
| Median year built | 1986 |
| Built before 1980 | 45% |
| Built 2000 or later | 41% |
| Owner-occupied | 56% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $238,800 |
| Single-family detached | 71% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boerne | 21 mi | 43% | 0% |
| Kerrville | 22 mi | 33% | 0% |
| Grey Forest | 25 mi | 56% | 0% |
| Helotes | 26 mi | 53% | 0% |
| Fair Oaks Ranch | 26 mi | 46% | under 1% |
| Hondo | 26 mi | 70% | under 1% |
| Ingram | 26 mi | 34% | 0% |
| Castroville | 28 mi | 60% | under 1% |
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