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Lancaster, Texas
Inside Lancaster's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 68% of mapped land, higher than 73% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
That clay share is above Dallas County's 51%. FEMA's flood data list 18 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 15,458 homes, 31% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1991.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Dallas 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 Lancaster
Foundation repair in Lancaster: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 68% of Lancaster's mapped land, more than in 73% of Texas cities.
The city requires a permit for the work.
About 12,100 of Lancaster's 15,458 homes are detached houses.
| City permit | Required. Lancaster says a building permit is required for all foundation repair projects. (City of Lancaster, Building Inspections, read October 2, 2026) |
| Engineer | Lancaster requires engineered drawings of the proposed foundation repair with the permit packet. (City of Lancaster, Building Inspections) |
| Contractor registration | Lancaster says the applicant contractor must be registered with the city. (City of Lancaster, Building Inspections) |
| Prices | Cost guide ranges compared |
Soil under Lancaster city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 67.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 82.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 8.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 44.9% |
| Urban land, not rated | 3.2% |
| Mapped soil | 21,191 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Black | 32% | 91% |
| Austin | 24% | 93% |
| Eddy | 7% | 0% |
| Heiden | 5% | 80% |
| Lewisville | 5% | n/a |
| Branyon | 5% | 92% |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 8.3% by land area here, and 45% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 68% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Dallas County is in drought on the latest map, and 68% of Lancaster's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 83% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Dallas County
100% of Dallas 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 Lancaster. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75146 | 72% | 14 | $489,969 |
| 75134 | 27% | 4 | $130,493 |
Homes in Lancaster
| Housing units | 15,458 |
| Median year built | 1991 |
| Built before 1980 | 31% |
| Built 2000 or later | 34% |
| Owner-occupied | 68% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $246,300 |
| Single-family detached | 78% |
Nearby cities
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