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Rockwall, Texas

Inside Rockwall's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 83% of mapped land, the 2nd-highest of 6 cities in Rockwall County. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.

That clay share is above Rockwall County's 72%. FEMA's flood data list 22 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 19,328 homes, 9% were built before 1980; the median dates from 2003.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Rockwall County

83%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

<1%

high water table: limits basements

22

flood losses since 2016 in 2 overlapping ZIPs

9%

of homes built before 1980

Foundation repair in Rockwall

Foundation repair in Rockwall: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 83% of Rockwall's mapped land, more than in 90% of Texas cities.

About 15,100 of Rockwall's 19,328 homes are detached houses.

Who designs the repairThe ASCE Texas Section's repair guidelines say a Texas-licensed engineer should evaluate the foundation and design the repair (2022 guidelines)
PricesCost guide ranges compared

Soil under Rockwall city limits

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)83.0%
High water table (limits basements)0.3%
Septic fields very limited68.4%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)11.3%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)83.0%
Mapped soil19,244 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Houston Black44%91%
Heiden22%80%
Altoga13%n/a
Ferris10%n/a
Fairlie3%70%
Lewisville2%n/a
Rockwall CountyRockwall
Rockwall city limits inside Rockwall County, shaded by the city's expansive clay share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 11.3% by land area here, and 83% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 83% of the mapped land.

Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Rockwall County is in drought on the latest map, and 83% of Rockwall's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.

USDA rates 68% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought in Rockwall County

100% of Rockwall County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026

Flood losses by ZIP code

FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Rockwall. ZIP areas reach past city limits.

ZIPShare of city landFlood lossesPaid
7508754%9$272,393
7503241%13$267,391

Homes in Rockwall

Housing units19,328
Median year built2003
Built before 19809%
Built 2000 or later62%
Owner-occupied73%
Median value, owner-occupied$411,700
Single-family detached78%

Nearby cities

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Mobile City 2 mi 82% 0%
Fate 3 mi 81% under 1%
Heath 5 mi 82% 3%
McLendon-Chisholm 6 mi 81% 1%
Rowlett 6 mi 78% under 1%
Lavon 7 mi 80% under 1%
Royse City 8 mi 87% 4%
Sachse 9 mi 81% 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