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Falls City, Texas
Inside Falls City's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 35% of mapped land, the 3rd-highest of 4 cities in Karnes County. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
That clay share is below Karnes County's 52%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 78113 overlapping the city. Of its 218 homes, 38% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1989.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Karnes 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 Falls City
Foundation repair in Falls City: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 35% of Falls City's mapped land.
About 200 of Falls City's 218 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 Falls City city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 35.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 59.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 35.0% |
| Mapped soil | 582 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Buchel | 27% | n/a |
| Pernitas | 24% | n/a |
| Colibro | 11% | n/a |
| Sinton | 11% | n/a |
| Weesatche | 6% | n/a |
| Bryde | 3% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.8% by land area here, and 35% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 35% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Karnes County is in drought on the latest map, and 35% of Falls City's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 60% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Karnes County
100% of Karnes 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 Falls City. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78113 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Falls City
| Housing units | 218 |
| Median year built | 1989 |
| Built before 1980 | 38% |
| Built 2000 or later | 47% |
| Owner-occupied | 73% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $174,100 |
| Single-family detached | 75% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poth | 7 mi | 51% | 1% |
| Karnes City | 10 mi | 46% | under 1% |
| Floresville | 14 mi | 16% | under 1% |
| Kenedy | 16 mi | 51% | under 1% |
| Stockdale | 18 mi | 8% | 0% |
| Runge | 20 mi | 32% | under 1% |
| Nordheim | 25 mi | 62% | under 1% |
| Nixon | 25 mi | 89% | 0% |
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