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Petersburg, Texas
Inside Petersburg's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 95% of mapped land, the 3rd-highest of 4 cities in Hale County. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%, the 3rd-highest of 4 cities in Hale County.
That clay share is above Hale County's 83%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 79250 overlapping the city. Of its 446 homes, 90% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1966.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Hale 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 Petersburg
Foundation repair in Petersburg: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 95% of Petersburg's mapped land, more than in 99% of Texas cities.
About 400 of Petersburg's 446 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 Petersburg city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 94.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 91.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 91.3% |
| Mapped soil | 518 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.1% by land area here, and 91% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 95% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 37.3% of Hale County is in drought on the latest map, and 95% of Petersburg's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 92% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Hale County
37.3% of Hale 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 Petersburg. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79250 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Petersburg
| Housing units | 446 |
| Median year built | 1966 |
| Built before 1980 | 90% |
| Built 2000 or later | 9% |
| Owner-occupied | 65% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $72,700 |
| Single-family detached | 87% |
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