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Victoria, Texas
Inside Victoria's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 62% of mapped land, higher than 67% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on 20%.
That clay share is close to Victoria County's 65%. FEMA's flood data list 129 flood losses since 2016 in the 3 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 29,046 homes, 50% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1980.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Victoria 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 Victoria
Foundation repair in Victoria: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 62% of Victoria's mapped land, more than in 67% of Texas cities.
The city lists a permit for the work.
About 17,900 of Victoria's 29,046 homes are detached houses.
| City permit | Victoria's development services fee schedule lists a residential foundation level permit fee based on the number of piers, plus a pre-pier inspection fee. (City of Victoria, Texas, read October 2, 2026) |
| Permit fee | Victoria charges $100.00 for a residential foundation level permit covering up to 5 piers, $110.00 for 6 to 20 piers and $120.00 for 21 or more, plus a $20.00 pre-pier inspection. (City of Victoria, Texas) |
| 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 Victoria city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 61.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 20.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 8.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 62.2% |
| Urban land, not rated | 10.6% |
| Mapped soil | 23,937 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Laewest | 24% | 94% |
| Telferner | 22% | n/a |
| Dacosta | 11% | n/a |
| Nada | 9% | n/a |
| Meguin | 5% | n/a |
| Cieno | 3% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 8.7% by land area here, and 62% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 62% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Victoria County is in drought on the latest map, and 62% of Victoria's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 20% of Victoria's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 84% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Victoria County
100% of Victoria 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 Victoria. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77901 | 47% | 66 | $1.1 million |
| 77904 | 41% | 34 | $624,594 |
| 77905 | 11% | 29 | $484,913 |
Homes in Victoria
| Housing units | 29,046 |
| Median year built | 1980 |
| Built before 1980 | 50% |
| Built 2000 or later | 25% |
| Owner-occupied | 58% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $207,100 |
| Single-family detached | 62% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomington | 13 mi | 79% | 12% |
| Edna | 23 mi | 85% | 40% |
| Port Lavaca | 26 mi | 65% | 8% |
| Cuero | 26 mi | 42% | 16% |
| Goliad | 27 mi | 29% | 4% |
| Point Comfort | 28 mi | 89% | 13% |
| Austwell | 31 mi | 96% | 3% |
| La Ward | 32 mi | 65% | 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