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New Braunfels, Texas
Inside New Braunfels' city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 59% of mapped land, the highest of 5 cities in Comal County. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
That clay share is above Comal County's 19%. FEMA's flood data list 32 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 44,517 homes, 20% were built before 1980; the median dates from 2006.
Data as of November 3, 2026 · sources · in Comal 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 New Braunfels
Foundation repair in New Braunfels: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 59% of New Braunfels' mapped land, more than in 65% of Texas cities.
The city lists a permit for the work.
About 30,400 of New Braunfels' 44,517 homes are detached houses.
| City permit | New Braunfels lists foundation repair or modification among residential permits that require a registered contractor. (City of New Braunfels, Building Safety Division, read October 2, 2026) |
| 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 New Braunfels city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 59.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 79.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 9.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 62.1% |
| Mapped soil | 29,141 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Branyon | 21% | 92% |
| Houston Black | 16% | 91% |
| Heiden | 11% | 80% |
| Lewisville | 6% | n/a |
| Rumple | 5% | n/a |
| Krum | 5% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 9.3% by land area here, and 62% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 59% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 18.5% of Comal County is in drought on the latest map, and 59% of New Braunfels' mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 80% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
New Braunfels covers 45.2 square miles of land and counts 44,517 housing units, about 986 per square mile.
65% of New Braunfels' occupied homes are owner-occupied, and the median owner-occupied home is valued at $339,400; 63% of all homes in the city date from 2000 or later.
The largest soil series under New Braunfels is Branyon, on 21% of the mapped land, followed by Houston Black at 16%.
USDA's soil survey maps 29,141 acres inside New Braunfels' city limits.
Drought in Comal County
18.5% of Comal 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 New Braunfels. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78130 | 79% | 24 | $156,254 |
| 78132 | 20% | 8 | $239,731 |
Homes in New Braunfels
| Housing units | 44,517 |
| Median year built | 2006 |
| Built before 1980 | 20% |
| Built 2000 or later | 63% |
| Owner-occupied | 65% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $339,400 |
| Single-family detached | 68% |
Nearby cities
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