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Ovilla, Texas
Inside Ovilla's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 56% of mapped land, higher than 62% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
That clay share is below Ellis County's 72%. FEMA's flood data list 38 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 75154 overlapping the city. Of its 1,532 homes, 21% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1996.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Ellis 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 Ovilla
Foundation repair in Ovilla: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 56% of Ovilla's mapped land, more than in 62% of Texas cities.
About 1,500 of Ovilla's 1,532 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 Ovilla city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 55.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 90.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 16.3% |
| Mapped soil | 3,704 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | 38% | 93% |
| Eddy | 23% | 0% |
| Stephen | 12% | n/a |
| Houston Black | 9% | 91% |
| Dalco | 3% | n/a |
| Frio | 3% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.8% by land area here, and 16% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 56% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Ellis County is in drought on the latest map, and 56% of Ovilla's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 91% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Ellis County
100% of Ellis 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 Ovilla. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75154 | 96% | 38 | $3.6 million |
Homes in Ovilla
| Housing units | 1,532 |
| Median year built | 1996 |
| Built before 1980 | 21% |
| Built 2000 or later | 43% |
| Owner-occupied | 95% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $446,700 |
| Single-family detached | 98% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glenn Heights | 2 mi | 75% | under 1% |
| Oak Leaf | 3 mi | 77% | under 1% |
| DeSoto | 4 mi | 49% | under 1% |
| Cedar Hill | 5 mi | 37% | under 1% |
| Red Oak | 6 mi | 81% | under 1% |
| Pecan Hill | 7 mi | 78% | under 1% |
| Lancaster | 7 mi | 68% | under 1% |
| Duncanville | 7 mi | 31% | under 1% |
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