HomeTexasLimestone CountyKosse

Kosse, Texas

Inside Kosse's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 86% of mapped land, the highest of 6 cities in Limestone County. A shallow water table limits basements on 40%, the highest of 6 cities in Limestone County.

That clay share is above Limestone County's 61%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 76653 overlapping the city. Of its 214 homes, 79% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1955.

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

86%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

40%

high water table: limits basements

0

flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP

79%

of homes built before 1980

Foundation repair in Kosse

Foundation repair in Kosse: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 86% of Kosse's mapped land, more than in 94% of Texas cities.

About 200 of Kosse's 214 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 Kosse city limits

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)85.8%
High water table (limits basements)39.8%
Septic fields very limited87.3%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)10.0%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)85.8%
Mapped soil831 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Crockett33%94%
Tabor32%n/a
Lufkin10%n/a
Rader6%30%
Edge5%n/a
Normangee4%72%
Limestone CountyKosse
Kosse city limits inside Limestone 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

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 10.0% by land area here, and 86% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 86% of the mapped land.

Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Limestone County is in drought on the latest map, and 86% of Kosse's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.

On 40% of Kosse's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.

USDA rates 87% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought in Limestone County

100% of Limestone 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 Kosse. ZIP areas reach past city limits.

ZIPShare of city landFlood lossesPaid
76653100%0$0

Homes in Kosse

Housing units214
Median year built1955
Built before 198079%
Built 2000 or later6%
Owner-occupied82%
Median value, owner-occupied$108,500
Single-family detached90%

Nearby cities

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Thornton 8 mi 84% 14%
Bremond 10 mi 80% 7%
Marlin 16 mi 85% 2%
Groesbeck 16 mi 82% 10%
Mart 20 mi 81% 0%
Franklin 21 mi 14% 51%
Riesel 22 mi 66% 0%
Marquez 22 mi 49% 16%

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