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Forest Hill, Texas
Inside Forest Hill's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 48% of mapped land, higher than 56% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
That clay share is above Tarrant County's 41%. USDA doesn't rate the 25% of mapped land classed as urban land, so these shares are floors. FEMA's flood data list 60 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 4,713 homes, 75% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1971.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Tarrant 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 Forest Hill
Foundation repair in Forest Hill: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 48% of Forest Hill's mapped land, more than in 56% of Texas cities.
About 4,300 of Forest Hill's 4,713 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 Forest Hill city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 48.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 57.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 8.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 48.8% |
| Urban land, not rated | 25.5% |
| Mapped soil | 2,668 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 8.1% by land area here, and 49% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 48% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Tarrant County is in drought on the latest map, and 48% of Forest Hill's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 58% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Tarrant County
100% of Tarrant 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 Forest Hill. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76119 | 51% | 10 | $172,114 |
| 76140 | 50% | 50 | $1.8 million |
Homes in Forest Hill
| Housing units | 4,713 |
| Median year built | 1971 |
| Built before 1980 | 75% |
| Built 2000 or later | 19% |
| Owner-occupied | 72% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $187,400 |
| Single-family detached | 91% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everman | 2 mi | 63% | 1% |
| Kennedale | 3 mi | 35% | 9% |
| Edgecliff Village | 4 mi | 45% | 0% |
| Dalworthington Gardens | 7 mi | 25% | 8% |
| Pantego | 8 mi | 11% | 6% |
| Crowley | 8 mi | 51% | 0% |
| Arlington | 9 mi | 46% | 3% |
| Fort Worth | 10 mi | 42% | 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