What a Texas inspector writes down about a crack
Under 16 TAC 535.228(a), a TREC inspector hired to inspect a foundation must render a written opinion on its performance. TREC's April 2025 guide says that opinion rests on visual inspection only. Inspectors aren't required to use thermal imaging, elevation measurement or load tests, so if you want floor elevations taken, ask for them by name.
A crack goes in the report next to the other signs the guide lists. Doors that bind and sloping floors are two of them.
Repairing one crack in Texas: our estimate
We estimate a single crack repair at $205 to $655 per crack repair. That figure is a model, not a quote: 3 national published ranges adjusted by the Texas cement mason wage ratio (0.82), with no Texas company price for crack work in it.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $205 to $655 per crack repair | Built from 3 national published ranges, adjusted by the Texas cement mason wage ratio (0.82). Ten Texas foundation companies publish a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. Basis: no state company sample (no counted Texas company price for this job), national estimate only. |
| Cement masons and concrete finishers: Texas hourly mean | $23.69 an hour | BLS, May 2025: what this trade earns per hour in Texas; it isn't what a repair costs. |
| Cement masons and concrete finishers: US hourly mean | $28.87 an hour | The same BLS release, nationwide; the Texas mean over this one is our ratio. |
| San Antonio: Repair Existing Foundation fee | $184.00 | FY 2027 schedule; it covers a foundation repair permit, with no separate line for a crack. |
Estimated range. Built from national published ranges (3 sources), adjusted by Texas's cement mason wage ratio to the US (0.82, BLS May 2025). Not a quote. Ten Texas foundation companies publish a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. We have no counted Texas company price for this job, so the range is our national estimate alone. Full method. Prices as of Oct 23, 2026.
What the soil scientists say about cracking
A USDA NRCS paper on expanding soils speaks to cracks directly. Of homes built on expanding smectite clays without due precautions, its author writes that "Cracks will appear in walls and floors." NRCS's glossary adds that higher coefficient of linear extensibility values indicate greater potential for soil movement.
Those values are printed in NRCS soil survey reports, and the paper names those reports as where shrink-swell classes are published.
When a crack repair turns into a permit
San Antonio's fee schedule has a Repair Existing Foundation line at $184.00, and Bulletin 172 wants an Assumption as Engineer of Record letter with the application. Garland draws its line by value: a permit any time repairs are valued at $2,000 or more, with an engineer's letter and a stamped pier diagram.
Plano, El Paso and Laredo don't post a foundation repair permit page. Call before work starts: Plano Building Inspections at 972-941-7140, El Paso Planning & Inspections at (915) 212-0104, or Laredo Building Development Services at (956) 794-1625.
If you're selling a house with a crack
TREC's Seller's Disclosure Notice, Form 55-1, has you mark Foundation/Slab(s) defects you know of (item 3) and any previous structural repair (item 4). Item 9 asks about repairs done without necessary permits, so a crack fixed without the city's permit is something you'd answer for there.
Cracks to act on today
- A crack has widened or grown longer within days, or the wall beside it has moved out of line.
- Water is coming through a crack close to an outlet or the panel; keep clear of it.
- A beam, post or masonry over the crack is sagging or buckling.
- A crack that's held the width you first marked and lets in no water.
Before you call anyone about the crack
- Hold a ruler beside the crack, photograph it, and pencil the date and width on the wall.
- Watch where water from the gutters and downspouts lands along that wall during rain.
- Ask the company whether it would still do the repair if an engineer looks at the crack first.
Who sets the rules for a crack repair
TDLR's list of 41 regulated programs has no foundation repair or concrete program, so the rules come from your city. The fees cities print are for foundation repair as a whole, without a line for a single crack, so ask the building office whether your repair falls under it.
Texas has no state license for foundation repair, so ask for the contractor's certificate of insurance and call the insurer listed on it before you sign anything.
Questions people ask
Are cracks in a Texas foundation normal?
TREC treats a crack as one of several signs, and no Texas source we have gives a normal count. Its guide reads cracks alongside binding doors, framing separations, sloping floors and buckling masonry. Ask whoever inspects to tell you what the pattern says about this house.
How much is a foundation crack repair in Texas?
We put one crack repair at $205 to $655 per crack repair, an estimate rather than a quote. National cost guides are the base, scaled to Texas wages, and no Texas company price for this job went in. Ask each company what its price covers and whether an engineer reviews the crack.
Does fixing one crack need a permit?
Only where your city's foundation repair permit reaches it. Austin's list of work exempt from building permits includes a foundation repair that doesn't exceed 128 square feet. Elsewhere the city's foundation repair rules apply, so ask the building office about your repair.
Who looks at a crack for a home buyer?
A TREC-licensed inspector, who must give a written opinion on how the foundation is performing. Rule 535.228(a) requires the written opinion. Elevation measurement is outside what the inspector must do, so a buyer who wants numbers orders that separately.
Does clay soil cause foundation cracks?
NRCS says cracks will appear on expanding smectite clays when houses are built without due precautions. The paper doesn't say your lot is expanding clay. It points to NRCS soil survey reports for the shrink-swell classes.
- TREC: Rendering an Opinion of Foundation Performance Read Oct 23, 2026.
- USDA NRCS: Understanding Soil Risks and Hazards Read Oct 23, 2026.
- USDA NRCS: Glossary of Terms Used in Soil Survey and Classification Read Oct 23, 2026.
- San Antonio DSD: FY 2027 Development Fee Schedule Read Oct 23, 2026.
- San Antonio DSD: Information Bulletin 172 Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Garland: Foundation Repair Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Plano: Building Permits Read Oct 23, 2026.
- El Paso Planning & Inspections Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Laredo: Building Permit Resources Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TREC: Seller's Disclosure Notice (55-1) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers (SOC 47-2051), Texas, mean hourly wage Read Oct 23, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers (SOC 47-2051), United States, mean hourly wage Read Oct 23, 2026.
- FoundationMatch: how we estimate costs, Texas (editorial policy) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TDLR: Programs Licensed and Regulated by TDLR Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Austin Development Services: Types of Permit Applications Read Oct 23, 2026.