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Lovelady, Texas
Inside Lovelady's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 42% of mapped land, the 2nd-highest of 5 cities in Houston County. A shallow water table limits basements on 74%, the 2nd-highest of 5 cities in Houston County.
That clay share is above Houston County's 23%. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 75851 overlapping the city. Of its 265 homes, 57% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1978.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Houston County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Lovelady
Foundation repair in Lovelady: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 42% of Lovelady's mapped land, more than in 50% of Texas cities.
About 200 of Lovelady's 265 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 Lovelady city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 41.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 73.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 87.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 62.6% |
| Mapped soil | 850 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Herty | 31% | n/a |
| Fuller | 23% | 1% |
| Moswell | 15% | n/a |
| Kurth | 13% | n/a |
| Keltys | 11% | n/a |
| Moten | 2% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.1% by land area here, and 63% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 42% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 79.4% of Houston County is in drought on the latest map, and 42% of Lovelady's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 74% of Lovelady'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 Houston County
79.4% of Houston 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 Lovelady. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75851 | 100% | 2 | $32,884 |
Homes in Lovelady
| Housing units | 265 |
| Median year built | 1978 |
| Built before 1980 | 57% |
| Built 2000 or later | 16% |
| Owner-occupied | 82% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $126,800 |
| Single-family detached | 67% |
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