Rule, Texas
Inside Rule's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 16% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 9%, the highest of 6 cities in Haskell County.
That clay share is below Haskell County's 59%. FEMA's flood data list 3 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 79547 overlapping the city. Of its 445 homes, 78% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1961.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Haskell 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 Rule
Foundation repair in Rule: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 16% of Rule's mapped land.
About 400 of Rule's 445 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 Rule city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 16.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 9.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 31.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 16.0% |
| Mapped soil | 445 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Miles | 58% | 0% |
| Grandfield | 8% | n/a |
| Abilene | 8% | n/a |
| Lipan | 5% | n/a |
| Devol | 4% | n/a |
| Rotan | 4% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 2.8% 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 16% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Haskell County is in drought on the latest map, and 16% of Rule's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Drought in Haskell County
100% of Haskell 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 Rule. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79547 | 100% | 3 | $87,580 |
Homes in Rule
| Housing units | 445 |
| Median year built | 1961 |
| Built before 1980 | 78% |
| Built 2000 or later | 4% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $71,000 |
| Single-family detached | 97% |
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