Water damage restoration · Buda, Texas
Water damage restoration in Buda, TX
Burst pipe, failed water heater, or storm water? Buda-area ZIPs: 67 flood claims since 1997[1]; 4% of homes built before 1980[2]. Request help from local restoration crews. Buda, in Hays County — ZIP 78610, counts 16,166 residents (2025 estimate)[3].
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The Buda water damage picture in brief
- Population (2025 est.)
- 16,166[3]+6.8% since 2020
- County
- Hays[3]
- Land area
- 9.8 sq mi[4]
- Flood-insurance (NFIP) claims, local ZIPs
- 67 since 1997[1]$1,812,005 paid across 54 claims · ZIP 78610
- Flood & flash-flood reports within 10 mi
- 28[5]2016–2025 · latest Jan 22, 2024
- Winter-storm & freeze days, hays zone
- 19[5]2016–2025; hard freezes burst pipes
- Federal disaster declarations incl. flooding, Hays Co.
- 5[6]of 19 total declarations
- Homes built before 1980
- 4%[2]the 7th-lowest share of the 15 Austin-area suburbs we cover
- Households renting
- 23%[2]2020–2024
What Buda's numbers say about water damage
Buda is one of the most established suburbs tracked here — 16,166 people (2025 estimate), up just 6.8% since 2020[3]. On the map that's 9.8 square miles holding 1,654 residents per square mile, the 11th densest of the suburbs here; it sits entirely in Hays County, with ZIP code 78610[4].
Buda mixes 58% of homes built since 2010 and 4% 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.
78610 is the city's single ZIP code[7].
The tracked suburbs closest by are Kyle (5.9 mi S), San Marcos (14.8 mi S) and Dripping Springs (16.7 mi NW)[4].
67 flood-insurance claims have come from Buda-area ZIP codes (78610) since 1997, and $1,812,005 has been paid on them (about $33,556 per paid claim)[1]. 2015 was the worst year, with 23 claims. That is the 8th-most of the 15 Austin-area suburbs we cover; for comparison, Kyle (835), San Marcos (816), and Dripping Springs (42). Of the 67 claims rated in a flood zone, 17 were in FEMA's high-risk areas (zones A or V) and 50 outside them (zones B, C or X)[1][8] — flooding here is not only a high-risk-zone problem.
By month of loss, Buda-area flood claims cluster in May (18), October (40), and November (6) — 64 of 67 dated claims[1].
Within 10 miles of central Buda, weather observers filed 28 flood, flash-flood or heavy-rain reports in 2016–2025 (26 flash floods)[5]. Countywide: 5 flood declarations since 2000, latest Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding (DR-4781, 2024)[6]. Nearby: Kyle (31), San Marcos (21), and Dripping Springs (6).
4% of Buda's 6,242 housing units predate 1980[2] — the 7th-lowest share of the 15 Austin-area suburbs we cover (Kyle (4%), San Marcos (23%), and Dripping Springs (4%)). Expect a mix of original and replaced plumbing.
77% of Buda households own their home[2], so most claims and rebuilds here are coordinated by the owner.
Measured against the 15 suburbs on this site, Buda records the 2nd-most flood reports nearby (28)[5].
How a leak spreads inside a wall
Water on the move: it spreads across floors and wicks upward into drywall until it is stopped.
Finding water damage help around Buda
Requests go to Water damage restoration contractors serving the Buda area — ZIP code 78610.
Before you call: what a restoration crew does first
Shared walls and ceilings: Buda homes by building type
With 86%[2] of homes detached, most Buda water-damage jobs stay inside one house — the owner's policy and the owner's call.
After detached houses, the biggest group is 20–49 units: 264 of 6,242 housing units[2].
| Building type | Units | Share | Margin of error |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached house | 5,353 | 85.8% | ±446 |
| Attached house (townhouse, rowhouse) | 78 | 1.2% | ±89 |
| Duplex (2 units) | 58 | 0.9% | ±86 |
| 5–9 units | 86 | 1.4% | ±75 |
| 10–19 units | 187 | 3.0% | ±169 |
| 20–49 units | 264 | 4.2% | ±198 |
| 50 or more units | 216 | 3.5% | ±141 |
Margins of error are the Census Bureau’s 90% intervals; small categories in small cities are rough.
The Buda numbers behind this page
| Measure | Buda | Median of 15 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flood reports (10 mi) | 28 | 17 | 11 more |
| Renter-occupied | 23% | 31% | 7 pts lower |
| Owner-occupied | 77% | 69% | 7 pts higher |
| Median home value | $446,600 | $420,000 | 6% higher |
| Built before 1980 | 4% | 4% | about the same |
| Median year built | 2012 | 2010 | 2 years newer |
| NFIP flood claims (area ZIPs) | 67 | 67 | same as median |
Largest differences first. Medians are the middle value across the covered Austin-area suburbs, from the same sources.
| City | NFIP claims | Flood reports ≤10 mi | Freeze days | Built before 1980 | Renting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buda | 67 | 28 | 19 | 4% | 23% |
| Kyle 5.9 mi | 835 | 31 | 19 | 4% | 33% |
| San Marcos 14.8 mi | 816 | 21 | 19 | 23% | 69% |
| Dripping Springs 16.7 mi | 42 | 6 | 19 | 4% | 51% |
| Bee Cave 17.4 mi | 2 | 17 | 22 | 0% | 51% |
| Lakeway 21.0 mi | 353 | 8 | 22 | 14% | 14% |
| ZIP | Claims | Paid | Busiest year | Outside high-risk zones |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78610 | 67 | $1,812,005 | 2015 (23) | 50 of 67 |
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 |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2016 | 17 |
| 2015 | 23 |
| 2013 | 13 |
| 2007 | 1 |
| 2004 | 2 |
| 2002 | 1 |
| 2001 | 4 |
| 1998 | 4 |
| 1997 | 1 |
| Month | Claims |
|---|---|
| January | 1 |
| May | 18 |
| June | 2 |
| October | 40 |
| November | 6 |
| Date | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 22, 2024 | Flash Flood | 8.3 mi |
| Oct 26, 2023 | Flash Flood | 8.2 mi |
| Dec 19, 2022 | Flood | 6.4 mi |
| Aug 22, 2022 | Flash Flood | 6.0 mi |
| Oct 13, 2021 | Flash Flood | 4.7 mi |
| May 30, 2021 | Flash Flood | 8.9 mi |
| May 1, 2021 | Flash Flood | 5.5 mi |
| May 1, 2021 | Flash Flood | 6.7 mi |
| ZIP (ZCTA) | Share of Buda's land | Share of the ZIP inside the city |
|---|---|---|
| 78610 | 100% | 10% |
water damage questions from Buda homeowners
Do I need flood insurance in Buda?
Homeowners policies exclude outside floodwater[9], and Buda-area ZIPs have 18 NFIP claims in just the last ten years[1].
Which Buda ZIP codes do these crews cover?
78610[7], in Hays County. Nearby pages: Kyle (5.9 mi), San Marcos (14.8 mi), and Dripping Springs (16.7 mi)[4].
When was the last flood report near Buda?
Jan 22, 2024: a flash flood report 8.3 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.