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Burton, Texas
Inside Burton's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 48% of mapped land, higher than 55% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
That clay share is below Washington County's 54%. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 77835 overlapping the city. Of its 141 homes, 71% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1953.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Washington 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 Burton
Foundation repair in Burton: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 48% of Burton's mapped land, more than in 55% of Texas cities.
About 100 of Burton's 141 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 Burton city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 48.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 80.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 8.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 48.1% |
| Mapped soil | 769 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Frelsburg | 43% | 93% |
| Carbengle | 30% | n/a |
| Bleiblerville | 12% | n/a |
| Renish | 6% | n/a |
| Brenham | 2% | n/a |
| Klump | 2% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 8.1% by land area here, and 48% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 48% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Washington County is in drought on the latest map, and 48% of Burton's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 81% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Washington County
100% of Washington 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 Burton. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77835 | 100% | 2 | $34,971 |
Homes in Burton
| Housing units | 141 |
| Median year built | 1953 |
| Built before 1980 | 71% |
| Built 2000 or later | 0% |
| Owner-occupied | 84% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $275,000 |
| Single-family detached | 98% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carmine | 6 mi | 96% | 6% |
| Round Top | 10 mi | 24% | 7% |
| Somerville | 12 mi | 60% | 30% |
| Brenham | 13 mi | 35% | under 1% |
| Industry | 16 mi | 25% | 14% |
| Giddings | 19 mi | 86% | 48% |
| Fayetteville | 20 mi | 77% | 12% |
| Snook | 22 mi | 70% | 15% |
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