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Tenaha, Texas
Inside Tenaha's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 78% of mapped land, the highest of 5 cities in Shelby County. A shallow water table limits basements on 52%, the 2nd-highest of 5 cities in Shelby County.
That clay share is above Shelby County's 40%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 75974 overlapping the city. Of its 457 homes, 52% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1979.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Shelby 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 Tenaha
Foundation repair in Tenaha: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 78% of Tenaha's mapped land, more than in 83% of Texas cities.
About 200 of Tenaha's 457 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 Tenaha city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 78.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 51.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 98.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 82.0% |
| Mapped soil | 2,398 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Eastwood | 47% | 99% |
| Scottsville | 30% | n/a |
| Latex | 16% | n/a |
| Dreka | 2% | n/a |
| Laneville | 1% | n/a |
| Catuna | 1% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.3% by land area here, and 82% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 78% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Shelby County is in drought on the latest map, and 78% of Tenaha's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 52% of Tenaha's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 98% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Shelby County
100% of Shelby 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 Tenaha. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75974 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Tenaha
| Housing units | 457 |
| Median year built | 1979 |
| Built before 1980 | 52% |
| Built 2000 or later | 20% |
| Owner-occupied | 46% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $91,500 |
| Single-family detached | 42% |
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