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Kempner, Texas
Inside Kempner's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 11% of mapped land, the 3rd-highest of 3 cities in Lampasas County. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
That clay share is below Lampasas County's 20%. FEMA's flood data list 22 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 491 homes, 27% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1989.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Lampasas 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 Kempner
Foundation repair in Kempner: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 11% of Kempner's mapped land.
About 300 of Kempner's 491 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 Kempner city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 10.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 85.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 10.9% |
| Mapped soil | 1,316 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Brackett | 66% | 0% |
| Lampasas | 13% | n/a |
| Rumley | 9% | n/a |
| Real | 3% | n/a |
| Oglesby | 2% | n/a |
| Oakalla | 2% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
USDA rates 85% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 11% and a shallow water table on 0% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Kempner; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought in Lampasas County
73.7% of Lampasas 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 Kempner. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76539 | 57% | 10 | $377,096 |
| 76522 | 43% | 12 | $396,878 |
Homes in Kempner
| Housing units | 491 |
| Median year built | 1989 |
| Built before 1980 | 27% |
| Built 2000 or later | 28% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $249,200 |
| Single-family detached | 65% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copperas Cove | 5 mi | 25% | 0% |
| Lampasas | 12 mi | 18% | 0% |
| Killeen | 14 mi | 47% | under 1% |
| Florence | 19 mi | 74% | under 1% |
| Harker Heights | 20 mi | 44% | under 1% |
| Nolanville | 22 mi | 64% | under 1% |
| Bertram | 24 mi | 39% | 0% |
| Lometa | 27 mi | 22% | 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