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Tiki Island, Texas
Inside Tiki Island's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 5% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 68%.
That clay share is below Galveston County's 23%. USDA doesn't rate the 32% of mapped land classed as urban land, so these shares are floors. FEMA's flood data list 346 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 77554 overlapping the city. Of its 1,161 homes, 9% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1996.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Galveston 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 Tiki Island
Foundation repair in Tiki Island: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 5% of Tiki Island's mapped land.
About 1,100 of Tiki Island's 1,161 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 Tiki Island city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 5.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 68.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 0.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 5.5% |
| Urban land, not rated | 31.8% |
| Mapped soil | 1,019 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Basford | 32% | n/a |
| Maggies | 8% | n/a |
| Jonesbay | 6% | n/a |
| Amarada | 5% | n/a |
| Hoeckers | under 1% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
On 68% of Tiki Island's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Drought in Galveston County
100% of Galveston 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 Tiki Island. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77554 | 100% | 346 | $2.3 million |
Homes in Tiki Island
| Housing units | 1,161 |
| Median year built | 1996 |
| Built before 1980 | 9% |
| Built 2000 or later | 40% |
| Owner-occupied | 96% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $678,900 |
| Single-family detached | 98% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bayou Vista | 2 mi | 35% | 68% |
| Hitchcock | 6 mi | 40% | 94% |
| La Marque | 7 mi | 61% | 64% |
| Galveston | 8 mi | 1% | 91% |
| Jamaica Beach | 8 mi | under 1% | 75% |
| Texas City | 9 mi | 16% | 32% |
| Santa Fe | 13 mi | 6% | 92% |
| Dickinson | 14 mi | 66% | 74% |
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