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Beaumont, Texas
Inside Beaumont's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 28% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 28%.
That clay share is below Jefferson County's 56%. USDA doesn't rate the 58% of mapped land classed as urban land, so these shares are floors. FEMA's flood data list 4,459 flood losses since 2016 in the 8 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 52,439 homes, 53% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1978.
Data as of November 3, 2026 · sources · in Jefferson County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 8 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Beaumont
Foundation repair in Beaumont: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 28% of Beaumont's mapped land.
The city lists a permit for the work.
About 34,500 of Beaumont's 52,439 homes are detached houses.
| City permit | Beaumont's permit flow chart sends structural repairs, foundation first among them, to a Repair building permit. (City of Beaumont, Building Codes, read October 2, 2026) |
| Contractor registration | Contractors working in the city must post a $25,000 bond. (City of Beaumont, Building Codes) |
| 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 Beaumont city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 28.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 28.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 37.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 10.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 28.1% |
| Urban land, not rated | 58.0% |
| Mapped soil | 54,360 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| League | 8% | 92% |
| Beaumont | 5% | n/a |
| Simelake | 4% | n/a |
| Morey | 4% | n/a |
| Cowmarsh | 3% | n/a |
| Vamont | 2% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 10.1% by land area here, and 28% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 28% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Jefferson County is in drought on the latest map, and 28% of Beaumont's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 28% of Beaumont's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Beaumont covers 82.1 square miles of land and counts 52,439 housing units, about 638 per square mile.
55% of Beaumont's occupied homes are owner-occupied, and the median owner-occupied home is valued at $166,400; 24% of all homes in the city date from 2000 or later.
The largest soil series under Beaumont is League, on 8% of the mapped land, followed by Beaumont at 5%.
USDA's soil survey maps 54,360 acres inside Beaumont's city limits.
Drought in Jefferson County
100% of Jefferson County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the November 3, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Beaumont. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77705 | 24% | 1,899 | $175.9 million |
| 77707 | 15% | 657 | $47.1 million |
| 77708 | 14% | 146 | $11.8 million |
| 77713 | 14% | 891 | $130.4 million |
| 77706 | 12% | 440 | $18.8 million |
| 77703 | 11% | 119 | $5.0 million |
| 77701 | 8% | 248 | $14.4 million |
| 77702 | 2% | 59 | $5.9 million |
Homes in Beaumont
| Housing units | 52,439 |
| Median year built | 1978 |
| Built before 1980 | 53% |
| Built 2000 or later | 24% |
| Owner-occupied | 55% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $166,400 |
| Single-family detached | 66% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rose City | 6 mi | 18% | 42% |
| Rose Hill Acres | 8 mi | 82% | 16% |
| Bevil Oaks | 9 mi | 25% | 80% |
| Pine Forest | 9 mi | 41% | 55% |
| Vidor | 10 mi | 38% | 52% |
| China | 12 mi | 50% | 51% |
| Nederland | 12 mi | under 1% | under 1% |
| Lumberton | 12 mi | 0% | 57% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (November 3, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status