River bottom · Richmond, Texas
Foundation Repair in Richmond, TX
The Brazos River's own town: older homes, river clay to the north and prairie clay to the south.
- Free inspection
- No obligation
- Town-by-town soil data
- You never pay us
- Call (832) 539-7922
Richmond lives with the Brazos River. The National Weather Service's flood gauge for this stretch of the river is named for Richmond, and Hurricane Harvey pushed it to 55.19 feet in 2017, the highest crest since regulation of the river began in 1940. Richmond also has one of the oldest housing stocks around Sugar Land: its median house was built in 1979.
Old houses on river clay, beside a big river, raise fair questions when a crack appears. If you're looking at foundation repair in Richmond, this page goes through the ground, the floodplain, the homes and the city's rules, one public record at a time.
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The Ground Under Richmond
On the state geologic map, 15 of our 25 Richmond spots fell on river deposits, mostly across the north and middle of our grid. The southern edge reached the coastal prairie's Beaumont Formation. The soil follows the same line. Here's how the 25 spots split:
- 13 very high. Brazoria clay (17) and Lake Charles clay (12.9 to 13.6) cover 5 each. Pledger clay, at 19, covers 3, all on the river side.
- 6 high. Bernard (7.3 to 7.5) covers 3 and Edna (6.6) 2, along the prairie edge. One more is sloping alluvial land at 7.5.
- 6 moderate or low. Kenney loamy fine sand (1.6 and 2.7), Asa (4.5) and sandy alluvial land (1.5) cover 2 each.
So Richmond's river ground holds both its strongest clay and its sandiest soil. Pledger clay reads 19 in its top 17 inches, and the USDA says it opens cracks 20 to 50 inches deep when dry. A few streets away, Kenney sand barely moves. That's why two Richmond houses of the same age can have very different foundation stories.
The free USDA Web Soil Survey will name the soil under your own lot. Our soil guide explains what each name means for a slab.
Flood Zones in Richmond
FEMA's flood map put more of our Richmond spots in the floodplain than most other towns'. Of the 24 that returned a result, 11 fell inside the 1% annual chance floodplain, and 4 of the 11 sit in a mapped floodway. Another 3 are in an area FEMA labels as having reduced flood risk due to a levee, and 10 in the area of minimal flood hazard.
The river gauge at Richmond tells the rest. The Weather Service lists flood stage at 45 feet and major flooding at 50. Its guidance says that at 50 feet, "homes in Richmond flood," and at 51 feet, Second Street is under water. Before flood control, the river reached 61.2 feet in December 1913. More recent crests include 46.59 feet in January 2019 and two over 45 feet in May 2024.
Two levee districts the county created sit in Richmond's extraterritorial jurisdiction. Levee District 6 serves Del Webb Sweetgrass, Veranda and Williams Ranch, and Levee District 20 serves Kingdom Heights. Inside city limits, a floodplain development permit costs $100. Before deciding on a repair after high water, check your address on FEMA's map. Our flood zones guide explains how.
Richmond Homes by Decade
The Census counts 4,716 homes in Richmond, with a median build year of 1979. Among the 22 towns we studied, only Needville's median is older:
- Before 1960: 13.0%
- 1960s: 14.8%
- 1970s: 23.8%
- 1980s: 8.0%
- 1990s: 6.9%
- 2000s: 6.7%
- 2010s: 23.3%
- 2020 or later: 3.5%
Richmond built in two waves: one through the 1960s and 1970s, and another in the 2010s. Of the 22 towns we studied, only Needville has a larger share of homes from before 1960. The houses from the 1940s and 1950s are the likeliest to stand on piers and beams over a crawl space. Some older Texas pier and beam homes rest on concrete blocks stacked on small pads, which can settle or shift on their own.
For those houses, a repair may mean adding or resetting supports rather than lifting a slab. A newer Richmond home from the 2010s is far more likely to be on a slab. Vents around the base of the walls usually mean a crawl space, and a foundation inspection will confirm it.
- 1979Median year Richmond homes were built
- 13.0%Built before 1960
- 40.4%Built in 1990 or later
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2023.
Permits and Rules in Richmond
Richmond's fee schedule names foundation repair outright. Here's what the city's pages say:
- The fee. A residential foundation repair permit is $50.00, plus a $10.00 general fee. The schedule also lists plan review at half the permit fee, but doesn't say whether that applies to a foundation repair.
- Starting early costs more. Starting residential work without a permit carries a $75.00 charge.
- Online since 2024. Since October 14, 2024, Richmond takes permit applications through My Government Online.
- The 2024 codes. Richmond has adopted the 2024 International Residential Code, the same edition as Sugar Land.
Richmond's pages don't say whether a repair needs an engineer's letter. Call the Permit Office at (281) 232-6871 before the work starts. A permit from the city is also a check on the company, since Texas has no state license for foundation repair firms. Our permits guide compares the towns nearby.
Watering Rules in Richmond
Richmond's drought plan, adopted in 2019, is one of the more generous for foundations. In every stage, including the strictest, it lets you water "the soils directly abutting the foundation" at any time by:
- a hand-held hose with a shut-off nozzle,
- a bucket or watering can of 5 gallons or less, or
- a drip irrigation system.
Sprinkler days, on the other hand, go by neighborhood zone, A through D, not by house number. Ask the city which zone you're in. The plan covers city water customers. Several utility districts buy water from Richmond and follow its plan or a stricter one, so check your bill. For how much water is enough, see the watering guide.
Foundation Repair Services in Richmond
- Slab foundation repair For slabs on Brazoria, Pledger and Lake Charles clay
- Pier and beam repair For Richmond's older raised houses
- House leveling When the floors have drifted out of level
- Foundation inspection To measure before you decide
- Foundation crack repair To tell an old, stable crack from a moving one
Richmond Questions
Is the ground under Richmond sinking?
Very little, by the subsidence district's measure. Its 2025 report puts the Richmond and Rosenberg area among places with little to no subsidence, under half a centimeter a year. Groundwater levels in parts of Richmond did drop close to 120 feet from 1990 to 2026, the district reports.
Did Harvey set Richmond's flood record?
It set the record since regulation of the river began in 1940: 55.19 feet on the Richmond gauge in 2017. The river ran higher in 1913, at 61.2 feet.
What's the permit fee for a Richmond foundation repair?
$50.00 plus a $10.00 general fee, per the city's fee schedule. Ask whether plan review is added.
Nearby Towns on the Same Ground
We serve Richmond and the towns around it, including Pecan Grove, Rosenberg, Sugar Land, Mission Bend and Cinco Ranch.
Rosenberg, next door, sits on prairie clay rather than river ground and charges $100.00 flat for a foundation repair permit. Pecan Grove shares Richmond's Pledger clay. See all service areas.
Get a Free Foundation Inspection in Richmond
Say what you've noticed in your Richmond home, and a foundation repair company that works locally will come and take floor readings. You'll hear what the numbers mean in plain English. The visit is free, and the choice is yours.
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