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Surfside Beach, Texas
Inside Surfside Beach's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 13% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 93%, the highest of 24 cities in Brazoria County.
That clay share is below Brazoria County's 64%. FEMA's flood data list 510 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 77541 overlapping the city. Of its 1,208 homes, 48% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1983.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Brazoria 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 Surfside Beach
Foundation repair in Surfside Beach: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 13% of Surfside Beach's mapped land.
About 1,100 of Surfside Beach's 1,208 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 Surfside Beach city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 13.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 92.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 77.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 16.6% |
| Mapped soil | 1,194 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Galveston | 28% | n/a |
| Drumbay | 13% | n/a |
| Velasco | 7% | n/a |
| Follet | 6% | n/a |
| Tracosa | 5% | n/a |
| Veston | 4% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
On 93% of Surfside Beach's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 78% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Brazoria County
100% of Brazoria 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 Surfside Beach. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77541 | 100% | 510 | $14.6 million |
Homes in Surfside Beach
| Housing units | 1,208 |
| Median year built | 1983 |
| Built before 1980 | 48% |
| Built 2000 or later | 39% |
| Owner-occupied | 78% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $337,700 |
| Single-family detached | 94% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oyster Creek | 4 mi | 48% | 27% |
| Quintana | 4 mi | 3% | 30% |
| Freeport | 4 mi | 49% | 75% |
| Clute | 8 mi | 47% | 28% |
| Richwood | 10 mi | 78% | 6% |
| Jones Creek | 11 mi | 5% | 1% |
| Lake Jackson | 12 mi | 67% | 15% |
| Angleton | 17 mi | 64% | 65% |
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