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Deer Park, Texas
Inside Deer Park's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 58% of mapped land, higher than 64% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on 74%, the highest of 27 cities in Harris County.
That clay share is above Harris County's 25%. FEMA's flood data list 1,096 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 12,895 homes, 46% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1982.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Harris County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 2 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Deer Park
Foundation repair in Deer Park: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 58% of Deer Park's mapped land, more than in 64% of Texas cities.
The city lists a permit for the work.
About 10,000 of Deer Park's 12,895 homes are detached houses.
| City permit | Deer Park's Building Permit Information page lists foundation repairs under its Residential Building Permit type. (City of Deer Park, Planning & Development, read October 2, 2026) |
| 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 Deer Park city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 58.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 74.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 58.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 11.9% |
| Mapped soil | 6,826 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Bernard | 47% | 43% |
| Lake Charles | 10% | 97% |
| Edna | 10% | n/a |
| Verland | 9% | n/a |
| Addicks | 5% | n/a |
| Telferner | 1% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.6% 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 58% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 82.9% of Harris County is in drought on the latest map, and 58% of Deer Park's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 74% of Deer Park's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 83% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Harris County
82.9% of Harris 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 Deer Park. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77536 | 86% | 460 | $19.7 million |
| 77571 | 13% | 636 | $29.5 million |
Homes in Deer Park
| Housing units | 12,895 |
| Median year built | 1982 |
| Built before 1980 | 46% |
| Built 2000 or later | 28% |
| Owner-occupied | 78% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $264,600 |
| Single-family detached | 78% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pasadena | 3 mi | 53% | 37% |
| La Porte | 4 mi | 74% | 39% |
| South Houston | 7 mi | 53% | 6% |
| Morgan's Point | 7 mi | 36% | 23% |
| Shoreacres | 8 mi | 68% | 39% |
| Galena Park | 8 mi | 67% | 59% |
| Taylor Lake Village | 9 mi | 41% | 41% |
| Jacinto City | 9 mi | 55% | 23% |
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