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De Kalb, Texas
Inside De Kalb's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 4% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 59%.
That clay share is below Bowie County's 32%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 75559 overlapping the city. Of its 945 homes, 69% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1971.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Bowie 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 De Kalb
Foundation repair in De Kalb: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 4% of De Kalb's mapped land.
About 800 of De Kalb's 945 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 De Kalb city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 4.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 59.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 53.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 42.5% |
| Mapped soil | 876 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Sawyer | 40% | n/a |
| Blevins | 28% | n/a |
| Adaton | 10% | n/a |
| Rosalie | 7% | n/a |
| Eylau | 5% | n/a |
| Woodtell | 4% | 96% |
What the numbers mean here
On 59% of De Kalb's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 54% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Bowie County
100% of Bowie 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 De Kalb. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75559 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in De Kalb
| Housing units | 945 |
| Median year built | 1971 |
| Built before 1980 | 69% |
| Built 2000 or later | 10% |
| Owner-occupied | 45% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $89,200 |
| Single-family detached | 80% |
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