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Buffalo Gap, Texas
Inside Buffalo Gap's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 30% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
That clay share is below Taylor County's 45%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 79508 overlapping the city. Of its 243 homes, 64% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1959.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Taylor 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 Buffalo Gap
Foundation repair in Buffalo Gap: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 30% of Buffalo Gap's mapped land.
About 200 of Buffalo Gap's 243 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 Buffalo Gap city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 30.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 66.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 8.2% |
| Mapped soil | 1,555 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Clairemont | 16% | n/a |
| Shep | 14% | n/a |
| Gageby | 14% | n/a |
| Colorado | 13% | n/a |
| Sagerton | 6% | 88% |
| Mangum | 6% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.2% by land area here, and 8% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 30% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Taylor County is in drought on the latest map, and 30% of Buffalo Gap's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 66% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Taylor County
100% of Taylor 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 Buffalo Gap. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79508 | 99% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Buffalo Gap
| Housing units | 243 |
| Median year built | 1959 |
| Built before 1980 | 64% |
| Built 2000 or later | 27% |
| Owner-occupied | 84% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $201,300 |
| Single-family detached | 88% |
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