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Belton, Texas
Inside Belton's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 46% of mapped land, higher than 53% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
That clay share is below Bell County's 55%. FEMA's flood data list 21 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 76513 overlapping the city. Of its 8,895 homes, 38% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1994.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Bell 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 Belton
Foundation repair in Belton: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 46% of Belton's mapped land, more than in 53% of Texas cities.
About 5,400 of Belton's 8,895 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 Belton city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 45.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 70.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 8.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 57.9% |
| Urban land, not rated | 1.7% |
| Mapped soil | 13,436 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 8.0% by land area here, and 58% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 46% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Bell County is in drought on the latest map, and 46% of Belton's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 71% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Bell County
100% of Bell 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 Belton. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76513 | 99% | 21 | $421,897 |
Homes in Belton
| Housing units | 8,895 |
| Median year built | 1994 |
| Built before 1980 | 38% |
| Built 2000 or later | 43% |
| Owner-occupied | 56% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $258,700 |
| Single-family detached | 61% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temple | 7 mi | 51% | under 1% |
| Morgan's Point Resort | 7 mi | 5% | 0% |
| Nolanville | 8 mi | 64% | under 1% |
| Salado | 8 mi | 46% | under 1% |
| Little River-Academy | 9 mi | 68% | 16% |
| Harker Heights | 10 mi | 44% | under 1% |
| Holland | 12 mi | 80% | under 1% |
| Troy | 14 mi | 56% | 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