Katy terrace · Fulshear, Texas
Foundation Repair in Fulshear, TX
Sandy terrace to the north, river clay to the south, and the newest homes in our study.
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Fulshear is two towns as far as the ground is concerned. On our sample grid, the northern spots sit on the Katy prairie terrace, sandy on top. The southern spots sit on Brazos River deposits, where Brazoria clay reads 17 on the USDA's shrink-swell scale. All 6 of Fulshear's very high spots were in that southern part.
Fulshear also has the newest homes of the 22 towns we studied, with a median build year of 2015. And a subsidence district GPS station between Fulshear and Katy has measured the fastest sinking either local subsidence district reports. If you're thinking about foundation repair in Fulshear, here's what each of those records means for your house.
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The Ground Under Fulshear
On the state geologic map, 15 of our 25 Fulshear spots fell on the Lissie Formation of the Katy terrace, nearly all of them in the north and middle of our grid. The other 10 fell on river deposits, mostly across the south. In the soil survey, the 24 spots on land split like this:
- 6 very high. Brazoria clay covers 5, reading 17 in every layer down to about 80 inches. Churnabog clay, from a map unit the survey calls frequently flooded, covers 1 at 14.3. All 6 are in the south.
- 5 high. Cyfair covers 3, peaking at 6.0 well below the surface. Bernard (7.3) and sloping alluvial land (7.5) cover 1 each.
- 13 moderate or low. Katy fine sandy loam covers 9: sandy on top, over clay loam reading 3.8 below about 29 inches. Four more Cyfair spots read 4.0.
So a house in the northern part of Fulshear is likely on sand over moderate clay loam, and one in the southern part may sit on some of the most active clay in the area. Two Fulshear homes built the same year can face very different ground. The USDA's free Web Soil Survey will show you which one is under your lot, and our soil guide explains the names.
Flood Zones in Fulshear
Most of Fulshear's flood map is quiet. Of our 25 spots, 2 fell inside the 1% annual chance floodplain, one of them in a mapped floodway. The other 23 landed in the area of minimal flood hazard. No levee district is named for Fulshear in any record we read.
The Brazos still reaches the edge of town in a big flood. The National Weather Service's guidance for the Richmond gauge says that at 45 feet, Redbird Lane in Fulshear is threatened, and at 46 feet, water is over it. To check your own address, follow the steps in our flood zones guide.
Fulshear Homes by Decade
The Census counts 8,191 homes in Fulshear, and the median one was built in 2015, the youngest of the 22 towns we studied:
- Before 1960: 2.8%
- 1960s through 1980s: 1.6%
- 1990s: 2.5%
- 2000s: 5.8%
- 2010s: 74.6%
- 2020 or later: 12.8%
That last figure is the highest share of brand-new homes in our study. A Fulshear house built in the last decade can still move, on Brazoria clay especially, and a crack in a new home is worth a calm look rather than alarm. New slabs on active soil are often post-tensioned, with steel cables stretched inside the concrete. Before anyone drills into one, the cables need mapping.
A newer home may also still be under a builder's warranty, so read yours first. A foundation inspection gives you a set of floor readings to take to the builder.
- 2015Median year Fulshear homes were built
- 2.8%Built before 1960
- 95.7%Built in 1990 or later
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2023.
Permits and Rules in Fulshear
The City of Fulshear prices foundation repair on its own line. Its rules reach the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction too, not just the city limits. Here's what its pages say:
- The fee. $0.21 a square foot, plus a $35 application fee and a $60 inspection fee, per the city's Master Fee Schedule.
- Contractors register. Every contractor working in the city registers each year for $200, with a copy of its license and a minimum of $1,000,000 general liability insurance, with the city named on the policy.
- Skipping the permit is costly. A contractor caught working without one is fined $350.
- The 2015 codes. Fulshear builds to the 2015 International Codes.
The city's pages don't say whether a repair needs an engineer's letter, or how the square footage is measured. Ask Planning Services at 281-346-1796 before work starts. Our permits guide puts Fulshear's rules beside its neighbors'.
Watering Rules in Fulshear
Of the area drought plans we read, Fulshear's 2024 plan is one of only two that name soaker hoses for foundations. It covers city water customers, Cross Creek Ranch included. It defines foundation watering as watering the soil within 2 feet of the foundation.
- Stage 1: an attended hand-held hose with a shut-off is allowed at all times. Don't let the water run into the street.
- Stage 2: foundations may be watered only on your designated day, and not between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. The plan allows three methods: an attended hand-held hose, a soaker hose, or a drip line laid within 24 inches of the slab, as long as nothing sprays above the ground.
- Stage 3: all lawn and garden watering is prohibited, and the plan doesn't say whether foundations are an exception.
The city has announced its watering days differently at different times, so check its current notice. Our watering guide explains how to judge how much water a slab needs.
Foundation Repair Services in Fulshear
- Slab foundation repair For new slabs on terrace soils and river clay
- Pier and beam repair For raised floors over a crawl space
- House leveling When floors slope across the house
- Foundation inspection For readings to share with a builder
- Foundation crack repair To tell a settling crack from a structural one
Fulshear Questions
Is the ground under Fulshear sinking?
Yes, at the fastest rate the subsidence districts report. GPS station P111, which the Fort Bend Subsidence District places near Fulshear, has dropped about 15.3 centimeters (6 inches) since monitoring began in 2021. That's an average of 3.32 centimeters, about 1.3 inches, a year from 2021 to 2025. Groundwater in Fulshear fell almost 160 feet from 1990 to 2026. That's a regional measurement, not a reading of any house, and our subsidence guide explains what it does and doesn't mean for a slab.
Are soaker hoses allowed on Fulshear foundations during Stage 2?
In Stage 2, yes, if you're a City of Fulshear water customer: on your watering day, outside 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., placed within 24 inches of the foundation. If a utility district sends your bill, its plan applies instead.
Which part of Fulshear has the most active clay?
On our grid, the south, where river deposits carry Brazoria clay. The northern part sits on the Katy terrace's sandier soils.
Nearby Towns on the Same Ground
We serve Fulshear and the towns around it, including Katy, Cinco Ranch, Pecan Grove, Rosenberg and Richmond.
Simonton, a small town to the west, is almost all river ground: 23 of our 25 Simonton spots fell on river deposits. Katy, to the north, has no very high spot at all. See all service areas.
Get a Free Foundation Inspection in Fulshear
Describe what you're seeing in your Fulshear home. A foundation repair company that works in Fulshear will come out, take floor readings and explain them in plain terms. The visit is free, and you decide what happens after.
Tell us what you're seeing