HomeTexasFrio CountyDilley

Dilley, Texas

Inside Dilley's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 3% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%.

That clay share is below Frio County's 10%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 78017 overlapping the city. Of its 1,271 homes, 37% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1985.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Frio County

3%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

1%

high water table: limits basements

0

flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP

37%

of homes built before 1980

Foundation repair in Dilley

Foundation repair in Dilley: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 3% of Dilley's mapped land.

About 700 of Dilley's 1,271 homes are detached houses.

Who designs the repairThe ASCE Texas Section's repair guidelines say a Texas-licensed engineer should evaluate the foundation and design the repair (2022 guidelines)
PricesCost guide ranges compared

Soil under Dilley city limits

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)2.6%
High water table (limits basements)0.9%
Septic fields very limited11.3%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)3.1%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)2.6%
Mapped soil1,488 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Duval73%n/a
Webb10%n/a
Dilley4%n/a
Hindes4%n/a
Poteet2%n/a
Brystal1%n/a
Frio CountyDilley
Dilley city limits inside Frio County, shaded by the city's expansive clay share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count

What the numbers mean here

With shrink-swell clay on 3% and a shallow water table on 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Dilley; conditions still vary lot by lot.

Drought in Frio County

100% of Frio County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026

Flood losses by ZIP code

FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Dilley. ZIP areas reach past city limits.

ZIPShare of city landFlood lossesPaid
78017100%0$0

Homes in Dilley

Housing units1,271
Median year built1985
Built before 198037%
Built 2000 or later33%
Owner-occupied63%
Median value, owner-occupied$106,400
Single-family detached53%

Nearby cities

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Pearsall 16 mi 1% 1%
Cotulla 16 mi 3% under 1%
Big Wells 25 mi 47% under 1%
Charlotte 32 mi 58% under 1%
Devine 37 mi 16% under 1%
Asherton 39 mi 8% 0%
Crystal City 39 mi 37% under 1%
Natalia 41 mi 10% under 1%

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