HomeTexasAngelina CountyZavalla
Zavalla, Texas
Inside Zavalla's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 10% of mapped land, the 4th-highest of 6 cities in Angelina County. A shallow water table limits basements on 32%.
That clay share is below Angelina County's 27%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 75980 overlapping the city. Of its 341 homes, 39% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1988.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Angelina 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 Zavalla
Foundation repair in Zavalla: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 10% of Zavalla's mapped land.
About 200 of Zavalla's 341 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 Zavalla city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 10.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 32.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 81.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 10.4% |
| Mapped soil | 1,341 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Diboll | 32% | n/a |
| Keltys | 21% | n/a |
| Lilbert | 11% | 0% |
| Tenaha | 8% | n/a |
| Rosenwall | 6% | n/a |
| Darco | 5% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
On 32% of Zavalla's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 81% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Angelina County
89.8% of Angelina 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 Zavalla. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75980 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Zavalla
| Housing units | 341 |
| Median year built | 1988 |
| Built before 1980 | 39% |
| Built 2000 or later | 27% |
| Owner-occupied | 84% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $74,000 |
| Single-family detached | 52% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntington | 13 mi | 15% | 61% |
| Broaddus | 13 mi | 65% | 27% |
| Colmesneil | 17 mi | 3% | 7% |
| Chester | 20 mi | 42% | 30% |
| Burke | 21 mi | 4% | 79% |
| Diboll | 21 mi | 11% | 63% |
| Lufkin | 22 mi | 21% | 44% |
| Chireno | 24 mi | 0% | 19% |
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