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San Felipe, Texas
Inside San Felipe's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 56% of mapped land, the 3rd-highest of 7 cities in Austin County. A shallow water table limits basements on 36%, the 2nd-highest of 7 cities in Austin County.
That clay share is above Austin County's 38%. FEMA's flood data list 183 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 601 homes, 35% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1992.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Austin 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 San Felipe
Foundation repair in San Felipe: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 56% of San Felipe's mapped land, more than in 63% of Texas cities.
About 500 of San Felipe's 601 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 San Felipe city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 56.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 35.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 74.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 56.0% |
| Mapped soil | 5,533 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Frydek | 16% | n/a |
| Lake Charles | 13% | 97% |
| Verland | 8% | n/a |
| Katy | 6% | 0% |
| Styx | 6% | n/a |
| Brazoria | 6% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.7% by land area here, and 56% 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: 96.2% of Austin County is in drought on the latest map, and 56% of San Felipe's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 36% of San Felipe's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 75% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Austin County
96.2% of Austin 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 San Felipe. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77474 | 99% | 179 | $8.7 million |
| 77473 | 1% | 4 | $833,491 |
Homes in San Felipe
| Housing units | 601 |
| Median year built | 1992 |
| Built before 1980 | 35% |
| Built 2000 or later | 37% |
| Owner-occupied | 91% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $232,700 |
| Single-family detached | 78% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sealy | 4 mi | 10% | 32% |
| South Frydek | 4 mi | 90% | 12% |
| Brazos Country | 5 mi | 15% | 21% |
| Pattison | 8 mi | 17% | 26% |
| Brookshire | 9 mi | 2% | 18% |
| Simonton | 11 mi | 41% | 2% |
| Wallis | 11 mi | 86% | 61% |
| Bellville | 14 mi | 45% | 26% |
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