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Sugar Land, Texas
Inside Sugar Land's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 58% of mapped land, higher than 64% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on 12%.
That clay share is below Fort Bend County's 64%. FEMA's flood data list 735 flood losses since 2016 in the 3 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 39,946 homes, 13% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1994.
Data as of November 3, 2026 · sources · in Fort Bend County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 3 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Sugar Land
Foundation repair in Sugar Land: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 58% of Sugar Land's mapped land, more than in 64% of Texas cities.
The city requires a permit for the work.
About 34,600 of Sugar Land's 39,946 homes are detached houses.
| City permit | Required. Sugar Land's homeowner permit brochure lists foundation repairs among home repairs that need a building permit. (City of Sugar Land, Permits Division, read October 2, 2026) |
| 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 Sugar Land city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 57.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 12.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 79.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 11.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 59.9% |
| Mapped soil | 27,452 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Brazoria | 34% | n/a |
| Norwood | 13% | n/a |
| Lake Charles | 11% | 97% |
| Pledger | 8% | n/a |
| Clemville | 6% | n/a |
| Asa | 4% | 0% |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 11.9% by land area here, and 60% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 58% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 83.3% of Fort Bend County is in drought on the latest map, and 58% of Sugar Land's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 80% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Sugar Land covers 40.5 square miles of land and counts 39,946 housing units, about 987 per square mile.
80% of Sugar Land's occupied homes are owner-occupied, and the median owner-occupied home is valued at $430,200; 30% of all homes in the city date from 2000 or later.
The largest soil series under Sugar Land is Brazoria, on 34% of the mapped land, followed by Norwood at 13%.
USDA's soil survey maps 27,452 acres inside Sugar Land's city limits.
Drought in Fort Bend County
83.3% of Fort Bend County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the November 3, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Sugar Land. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77479 | 57% | 484 | $27.2 million |
| 77478 | 24% | 107 | $1.9 million |
| 77498 | 17% | 144 | $6.3 million |
Homes in Sugar Land
| Housing units | 39,946 |
| Median year built | 1994 |
| Built before 1980 | 13% |
| Built 2000 or later | 30% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $430,200 |
| Single-family detached | 87% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stafford | 4 mi | 71% | 43% |
| Meadows Place | 5 mi | 85% | 24% |
| Missouri City | 6 mi | 58% | 29% |
| Richmond | 8 mi | 58% | 22% |
| Thompsons | 8 mi | 42% | 23% |
| Arcola | 12 mi | 80% | 23% |
| Rosenberg | 12 mi | 77% | 64% |
| Bellaire | 13 mi | 56% | 28% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (November 3, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status