Water damage restoration · Sugar Land, Texas
Water damage restoration in Sugar Land, TX
Burst pipe, failed water heater, or storm water? Sugar Land-area ZIPs: 1,141 flood claims since 1979[1]; 13% of homes built before 1980[2]. Request help from local restoration crews. Sugar Land, in Fort Bend County — ZIPs 77479, 77478, 77498, counts 107,726 residents (2025 estimate)[3].
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Sugar Land water damage snapshot: the key figures
- Population (2025 est.)
- 107,726[3]-3.0% since 2020
- County
- Fort Bend[3]
- Land area
- 40.5 sq mi[4]
- Flood-insurance (NFIP) claims, local ZIPs
- 1,141 since 1979[1]$38,295,762 paid across 643 claims · ZIP 77479, 77478, 77498
- Flood & flash-flood reports within 10 mi
- 15[5]2016–2025 · latest Oct 1, 2021
- Winter-storm & freeze days, fort bend zone
- 4[5]2016–2025; hard freezes burst pipes
- Federal disaster declarations incl. flooding, Fort Bend Co.
- 4[6]of 22 total declarations
- Homes built before 1980
- 13%[2]the 2nd-lowest share of the 15 Houston-area suburbs we cover
- Households renting
- 20%[2]2020–2024
What Sugar Land's numbers say about water damage
Sugar Land is one of the most established suburbs tracked here — 107,726 people (2025 estimate), down just 3.0% since 2020[3]. It covers 40.5 square miles (2,661 residents per square mile, the 3rd densest), sits entirely in Fort Bend County, in ZIP codes 77479, 77478, 77498[4].
Sugar Land mixes 11% of homes built since 2010 and 13% before 1980[2]: new supply lines and water heaters in one house, aging pipe and original valves in the next — so where a leak starts depends a lot on the address.
Mail to Sugar Land goes through 3 ZIP codes — 77479 (57% of the city's land), 77478 (24% of the city's land), 77498 (17% of the city's land)[7].
The closest tracked neighbours are Missouri City (6.2 mi E), Rosenberg (11.7 mi W) and Katy (18.5 mi NW)[4].
1,141 flood-insurance claims have come from Sugar Land-area ZIP codes (77479, 77478, 77498) since 1979, and $38,295,762 has been paid on them (about $59,558 per paid claim)[1]. 2017 was the worst year, with 598 claims. That is the 4th-fewest of the 15 Houston-area suburbs we cover; for comparison, Missouri City (1,341), Rosenberg (770), and Katy (940). Most jobs here start inside the house. Of the 1,126 claims rated in a flood zone, 71 were in FEMA's high-risk areas (zones A or V) and 1,055 outside them (zones B, C or X)[1][8] — flooding here is not only a high-risk-zone problem.
By month of loss, Sugar Land-area flood claims cluster in May (106), August (608), and September (133) — 847 of 1,141 dated claims[1].
Within 10 miles of central Sugar Land, weather observers filed 15 flood, flash-flood or heavy-rain reports in 2016–2025 (15 flash floods)[5]. Countywide: 4 flood declarations since 2000, latest Severe Storms and Flooding (DR-4272, 2016)[6]. Nearby: Missouri City (15), Rosenberg (8), and Katy (8).
13% of Sugar Land's 39,946 housing units predate 1980[2] — the 2nd-lowest share of the 15 Houston-area suburbs we cover (Missouri City (26%), Rosenberg (28%), and Katy (20%)). In newer houses, check fittings, washer hoses and the water-heater pan first — and any builder warranty.
80% of Sugar Land households own their home[2], so most claims and rebuilds here are coordinated by the owner.
Out of the 15 suburbs on this site, Sugar Land has the highest median home value ($430,200)[2], the 2nd-lowest pre-1980 housing share (13%)[2], and the 3rd-lowest renter share (20%)[2].
How a leak spreads inside a wall
Water on the move: it spreads across floors and wicks upward into drywall until it is stopped.
Sugar Land storm calendar
Within 10 miles of Sugar Land, 2016–2025: 15 flash-flood reports[5]. Peak: 67% in April, May, and September. Busiest year 2019 (5); 4 of 10 years had none. Busiest month May 2019 (3). Latest: flash-flood report, Oct 1, 2021, 8.2 mi out.
| Month | Flash flood | Flood | Heavy rain | All |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr | 2 | – | – | 2 |
| May | 4 | – | – | 4 |
| Jun | 1 | – | – | 1 |
| Aug | 2 | – | – | 2 |
| Sep | 4 | – | – | 4 |
| Oct | 1 | – | – | 1 |
| Dec | 1 | – | – | 1 |
Finding water damage help around Sugar Land
Requests go to Water damage restoration contractors serving the Sugar Land area — ZIP codes 77479, 77478, 77498.
Before you call: what a restoration crew does first
Shared walls and ceilings: Sugar Land homes by building type
With 86%[2] of homes detached, most Sugar Land water-damage jobs stay inside one house — the owner's policy and the owner's call.
After detached houses, the biggest group is 50 or more units: 2,125 of 39,946 housing units[2].
| Building type | Units | Share | Margin of error |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached house | 34,537 | 86.5% | ±848 |
| Attached house (townhouse, rowhouse) | 916 | 2.3% | ±259 |
| Duplex (2 units) | 73 | 0.2% | ±59 |
| 3–4 units | 312 | 0.8% | ±147 |
| 5–9 units | 545 | 1.4% | ±225 |
| 10–19 units | 751 | 1.9% | ±247 |
| 20–49 units | 581 | 1.5% | ±240 |
| 50 or more units | 2,125 | 5.3% | ±553 |
| Mobile home | 106 | 0.3% | ±91 |
Margins of error are the Census Bureau’s 90% intervals; small categories in small cities are rough.
The Sugar Land numbers behind this page
| Measure | Sugar Land | Median of 15 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFIP flood claims (area ZIPs) | 1,141 | 4,628 | 3,487 fewer |
| Renter-occupied | 20% | 43% | 24 pts lower |
| Built before 1980 | 13% | 28% | 15 pts lower |
| Owner-occupied | 80% | 57% | 24 pts higher |
| Median home value | $430,200 | $311,400 | 38% higher |
| Median year built | 1994 | 1993 | 1 year newer |
| Flood reports (10 mi) | 15 | 15 | same as median |
Biggest gaps first. Medians are middle values across the Houston-area suburbs we cover, drawn from the same sources.
| City | NFIP claims | Flood reports ≤10 mi | Freeze days | Built before 1980 | Renting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar Land | 1,141 | 15 | 4 | 13% | 20% |
| Missouri City 6.2 mi | 1,341 | 15 | 4 | 26% | 18% |
| Rosenberg 11.7 mi | 770 | 8 | 4 | 28% | 46% |
| Katy 18.5 mi | 940 | 8 | 4 | 20% | 19% |
| Pearland 18.9 mi | 5,580 | 17 | 1 | 11% | 24% |
| Friendswood 26.7 mi | 6,059 | 30 | 1 | 30% | 23% |
| ZIP | Claims | Paid | Busiest year | Outside high-risk zones |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77479 | 604 | $28,000,252 | 2017 (407) | 576 of 599 |
| 77478 | 275 | $3,123,044 | 2017 (76) | 248 of 267 |
| 77498 | 262 | $7,172,466 | 2017 (115) | 231 of 260 |
ZIPs extend past city limits. Outside high-risk zones: claims rated in zone B, C or X, of the claims that carry a zone.
| Year | Claims |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2024 | 26 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2021 | 19 |
| 2020 | 8 |
| 2019 | 45 |
| 2018 | 6 |
| 2017 | 598 |
| 2016 | 25 |
| 2015 | 52 |
| Month | Claims |
|---|---|
| January | 27 |
| February | 18 |
| March | 12 |
| April | 50 |
| May | 106 |
| June | 85 |
| July | 38 |
| August | 608 |
| September | 133 |
| October | 32 |
| November | 24 |
| December | 8 |
| Date | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2021 | Flash Flood | 8.2 mi |
| Sep 21, 2020 | Flash Flood | 8.2 mi |
| Sep 21, 2020 | Flash Flood | 6.6 mi |
| May 15, 2020 | Flash Flood | 0.6 mi |
| Sep 19, 2019 | Flash Flood | 0.9 mi |
| Sep 18, 2019 | Flash Flood | 9.8 mi |
| May 7, 2019 | Flash Flood | 3.1 mi |
| May 7, 2019 | Flash Flood | 1.7 mi |
| ZIP (ZCTA) | Share of Sugar Land's land | Share of the ZIP inside the city |
|---|---|---|
| 77479 | 57% | 70% |
| 77478 | 24% | 99% |
| 77498 | 17% | 44% |
Common Sugar Land water damage questions
Do I need flood insurance in Sugar Land?
Homeowners policies exclude outside floodwater[9], and Sugar Land-area ZIPs have 735 NFIP claims in just the last ten years[1].
Which Sugar Land ZIP codes do these crews cover?
77479, 77478, and 77498[7], in Fort Bend County. Nearby pages: Missouri City (6.2 mi), Rosenberg (11.7 mi), and Katy (18.5 mi)[4].
Which Sugar Land ZIP code has the most flood claims?
77479, with 604 NFIP claims and $28,000,252 paid[1].
When was the last flood report near Sugar Land?
Oct 1, 2021: a flash flood report 8.2 miles from the city center[5].
Sources
- OpenFEMA NFIP claims
- Census ACS 2020–2024 5-year (keyless bulk)
- Census population estimates, Vintage 2025
- Census Gazetteer 2025
- NOAA Storm Events Database
- OpenFEMA disaster declarations
- Census 2020 ZCTA–place file
- FEMA, Flood Zones (link unverified)
- FEMA FloodSmart (link unverified)
Data pulled Sep 28, 2026. Full citations and method.