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Chico, Texas
Inside Chico's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 7% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 26%, the highest of 12 cities in Wise County.
That clay share is below Wise County's 21%. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 76431 overlapping the city. Of its 554 homes, 54% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1975.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Wise 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 Chico
Foundation repair in Chico: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 7% of Chico's mapped land.
About 400 of Chico's 554 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 Chico city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 6.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 26.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 86.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 6.7% |
| Mapped soil | 971 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Windthorst | 28% | 37% |
| Chaney | 25% | n/a |
| Selden | 19% | n/a |
| Balsora | 10% | n/a |
| Hassee | 7% | n/a |
| Duffau | 4% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
On 26% of Chico's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 86% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Wise County
100% of Wise 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 Chico. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76431 | 100% | 1 | $12,170 |
Homes in Chico
| Housing units | 554 |
| Median year built | 1975 |
| Built before 1980 | 54% |
| Built 2000 or later | 20% |
| Owner-occupied | 67% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $170,300 |
| Single-family detached | 81% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgeport | 6 mi | 38% | 12% |
| Lake Bridgeport | 6 mi | 1% | 0% |
| Alvord | 7 mi | 13% | 10% |
| Runaway Bay | 8 mi | 14% | under 1% |
| Paradise | 12 mi | 22% | 22% |
| Decatur | 13 mi | 18% | under 1% |
| Bowie | 18 mi | 23% | 4% |
| Boyd | 20 mi | 12% | 2% |
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