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Bee Cave, Texas
Inside Bee Cave's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 16% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
That clay share is below Travis County's 39%. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 78738 overlapping the city. Of its 4,283 homes, under 1% were built before 1980; the median dates from 2012.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Travis 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 Bee Cave
Foundation repair in Bee Cave: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 16% of Bee Cave's mapped land.
About 2,200 of Bee Cave's 4,283 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 Bee Cave city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 15.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 86.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 4.3% |
| Mapped soil | 5,558 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.0% by land area here, and 4% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 16% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Travis County is in drought on the latest map, and 16% of Bee Cave's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 87% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Travis County
100% of Travis 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 Bee Cave. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78738 | 99% | 1 | $0 |
Homes in Bee Cave
| Housing units | 4,283 |
| Median year built | 2012 |
| Built before 1980 | under 1% |
| Built 2000 or later | 87% |
| Owner-occupied | 49% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $776,400 |
| Single-family detached | 52% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Hills | 3 mi | 19% | 0% |
| Lakeway | 4 mi | 9% | 0% |
| Point Venture | 6 mi | under 1% | 0% |
| Briarcliff | 9 mi | 9% | 0% |
| Bear Creek | 9 mi | 6% | 0% |
| West Lake Hills | 9 mi | 4% | 0% |
| Volente | 10 mi | 1% | 0% |
| Lago Vista | 10 mi | 4% | 0% |
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