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Houston, Texas
Inside Houston's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 29% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 48%.
That clay share is close to Harris County's 25%. USDA doesn't rate the 26% of mapped land classed as urban land, so these shares are floors. FEMA's flood data list 46,975 flood losses since 2016 in the 90 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 1,040,576 homes, 47% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1982.
Data as of November 3, 2026 · sources · in Harris County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 90 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Houston
Foundation repair in Houston: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 29% of Houston's mapped land.
The city lists a permit for the work, and Angi (October 10, 2025) publishes a range of $3,276 to $6,729 a job.
About 444,300 of Houston's 1,040,576 homes are detached houses.
| City permit | Houston Permitting Center's Foundation Repair page covers repairing slab fractures and stabilizing a structure that has moved. (City of Houston, Houston Permitting Center, read October 2, 2026) |
| Engineer | The application needs foundation plans by a Texas-licensed engineer showing where the piers or pressed piles go, how many and what type. (City of Houston, Houston Permitting Center) |
| Prices | Angi, October 10, 2025 · cost guide ranges compared |
Soil under Houston city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 28.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 47.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 73.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 30.3% |
| Urban land, not rated | 25.6% |
| Mapped soil | 430,973 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Charles | 14% | 97% |
| Bernard | 12% | 43% |
| Clodine | 7% | n/a |
| Addicks | 4% | n/a |
| Katy | 3% | 0% |
| Gessner | 3% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.3% by land area here, and 30% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 29% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 83.2% of Harris County is in drought on the latest map, and 29% of Houston's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 48% of Houston's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 74% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Houston covers 640.8 square miles of land and counts 1,040,576 housing units, about 1,624 per square mile.
42% of Houston's occupied homes are owner-occupied, and the median owner-occupied home is valued at $277,800; 30% of all homes in the city date from 2000 or later.
The largest soil series under Houston is Lake Charles, on 14% of the mapped land, followed by Bernard at 12%.
USDA's soil survey maps 430,973 acres inside Houston's city limits.
Drought in Harris County
83.2% of Harris County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the November 3, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Houston. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77032 | 3% | 495 | $25.6 million |
| 77077 | 3% | 866 | $93.9 million |
| 77084 | 3% | 2,308 | $252.9 million |
| 77339 | 2% | 1,882 | $295.2 million |
| 77034 | 2% | 1,182 | $81.3 million |
| 77043 | 2% | 242 | $8.5 million |
| 77048 | 2% | 97 | $2.7 million |
| 77075 | 2% | 546 | $44.8 million |
| 77045 | 2% | 179 | $4.3 million |
| 77013 | 2% | 462 | $45.6 million |
| 77017 | 2% | 166 | $11.0 million |
| 77082 | 2% | 308 | $2.6 million |
| 77016 | 1% | 532 | $19.9 million |
| 77028 | 1% | 448 | $34.2 million |
| 77029 | 1% | 268 | $21.6 million |
| 77088 | 1% | 1,281 | $74.1 million |
| 77092 | 1% | 377 | $23.2 million |
| 77345 | 1% | 776 | $166.1 million |
| 77007 | 1% | 328 | $24.5 million |
| 77015 | 1% | 533 | $48.2 million |
| 77020 | 1% | 92 | $4.8 million |
| 77047 | 1% | 246 | $8.2 million |
| 77051 | 1% | 59 | $838,407 |
| 77061 | 1% | 172 | $12.3 million |
| 77078 | 1% | 401 | $27.5 million |
| 77079 | 1% | 1,975 | $402.7 million |
| 77093 | 1% | 866 | $35.6 million |
| 77338 | 1% | 508 | $71.6 million |
| 77450 | 1% | 1,221 | $185.0 million |
| 77018 | 1% | 422 | $32.2 million |
| 77036 | 1% | 116 | $3.0 million |
| 77041 | 1% | 640 | $72.9 million |
| 77055 | 1% | 204 | $5.6 million |
| 77059 | 1% | 223 | $19.1 million |
| 77072 | 1% | 617 | $7.6 million |
| 77089 | 1% | 2,318 | $189.0 million |
| 77091 | 1% | 422 | $23.3 million |
| 77396 | 1% | 265 | $11.8 million |
| 77008 | 1% | 816 | $45.1 million |
| 77009 | 1% | 348 | $21.9 million |
| 77024 | 1% | 1,116 | $143.0 million |
| 77026 | 1% | 509 | $22.2 million |
| 77042 | 1% | 624 | $93.3 million |
| 77080 | 1% | 565 | $20.4 million |
| 77087 | 1% | 192 | $6.0 million |
| 77021 | 1% | 245 | $10.2 million |
| 77022 | 1% | 589 | $26.0 million |
| 77023 | 1% | 69 | $2.9 million |
| 77033 | 1% | 229 | $4.5 million |
| 77035 | 1% | 936 | $102.8 million |
| 77062 | 1% | 346 | $18.1 million |
| 77074 | 1% | 1,609 | $128.9 million |
| 77085 | 1% | 38 | $402,113 |
| 77096 | 1% | 3,052 | $456.7 million |
| 77099 | 1% | 446 | $12.8 million |
| 77004 | 1% | 273 | $10.2 million |
| 77040 | 1% | 982 | $45.6 million |
| 77054 | 1% | 46 | $2.0 million |
| 77025 | 1% | 1,444 | $172.7 million |
| 77053 | 1% | 102 | $2.9 million |
| 77057 | 1% | 200 | $17.2 million |
| 77060 | 1% | 780 | $87.0 million |
| 77063 | 1% | 476 | $47.4 million |
| 77076 | 1% | 253 | $8.5 million |
| 77489 | 1% | 135 | $1.8 million |
| 77598 | 1% | 236 | $17.5 million |
| 77012 | 1% | 58 | $3.9 million |
| 77019 | 1% | 119 | $16.1 million |
| 77058 | 1% | 371 | $18.4 million |
| 77064 | 1% | 150 | $6.0 million |
| 77071 | 1% | 350 | $15.8 million |
| 77011 | 1% | 36 | $2.9 million |
| 77056 | 1% | 368 | $41.5 million |
| 77070 | 1% | 1,236 | $184.2 million |
| 77081 | 1% | 141 | $4.8 million |
| 77003 | under 1% | 12 | $108,515 |
| 77006 | under 1% | 78 | $890,829 |
| 77027 | under 1% | 94 | $11.6 million |
| 77030 | under 1% | 187 | $12.1 million |
| 77031 | under 1% | 131 | $10.3 million |
| 77090 | under 1% | 639 | $96.9 million |
| 77002 | under 1% | 81 | $11.8 million |
| 77005 | under 1% | 248 | $10.0 million |
| 77037 | under 1% | 1,680 | $88.3 million |
| 77067 | under 1% | 75 | $924,829 |
| 77098 | under 1% | 59 | $1.9 million |
| 77094 | under 1% | 152 | $16.7 million |
| 77204 | under 1% | 0 | $0 |
| 77010 | 0% | 0 | $0 |
| 77046 | 0% | 11 | $231,598 |
Homes in Houston
| Housing units | 1,040,576 |
| Median year built | 1982 |
| Built before 1980 | 47% |
| Built 2000 or later | 30% |
| Owner-occupied | 42% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $277,800 |
| Single-family detached | 43% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| West University Place | 5 mi | 56% | 48% |
| Hilshire Village | 6 mi | 27% | 56% |
| Southside Place | 6 mi | 63% | 57% |
| Hunters Creek Village | 7 mi | 24% | 49% |
| Spring Valley Village | 7 mi | 0% | 56% |
| Bellaire | 7 mi | 56% | 28% |
| Hedwig Village | 8 mi | 0% | 55% |
| Piney Point Village | 8 mi | 20% | 54% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (November 3, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status