Frost Line Depth in Harris County, Texas
- 2 verified codes nearby
- Checked Oct 2026
No official local value
No official frost line depth is published for Harris County.
Nearby official codes require 6–12 in (2 verified codes).
Source and how we checked
We searched this place’s own code and website and found no published frost line depth.
Climate: 10 nights a year at or below 32 °F (NOAA 1991–2020, Houston Intercont Airport, 8.7 mi).
Checked Oct 2026. Report a correction
Does Harris County have an official frost line depth?
No adopted frost line depth found for Harris County in its official documents (checked Oct 2026). The nearest official values, from codes we verified, are 6 to 12 in. Use the deepest of them until the building department confirms Harris County’s own number.
What frost line depth does Harris County use for footings under Table R301.2(1)? Is it 6 in, like Houston?
How deep do footings, decks and water lines need to be in Harris County?
Drawn with the deepest nearby official value (12 in). Confirm Harris County’s own depth before you dig.
House or garage footing in Harris County: dig at least 12 in (30 cm). Below the frost line and at least 12 in deep (IRC R403.1.4).
| Project | Depth | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| House or garage footing | 12 in | Below the frost line and at least 12 in deep (IRC R403.1.4) |
| Deck footing (attached) | 12 in | Below the frost line and at least 12 in deep (IRC R507.3) |
| Water service line | 18 in | 6 in below the frost line and at least 12 in deep (IRC P2603.5) |
| Fence post bottom | 12 in | No code rule; common practice is below the frost line |
Work out posts, concrete and footing sizes with the fence post depth calculator or the deck footing calculator.
How cold does it get in Harris County?
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
Harris County never averages a low below freezing. 10 nights a year reach 32 °F or colder; Jan is coldest, with an average low of 43.7 °F.
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Houston Intercont Airport station, 8.7 mi away, elevation 95 ft.
Monthly temperatures as a table
| °F | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 43.7 | 47.6 | 53.6 | 59.8 | 67.8 | 73.7 | 75.7 | 75.4 | 70.6 | 60.9 | 51.5 | 45.6 |
| High | 63.8 | 67.8 | 74 | 80.1 | 86.9 | 92.3 | 94.5 | 94.9 | 90.4 | 82.8 | 72.6 | 65.3 |
Harris County has fewer freezing nights than 135 of the 168 other Texas places we track. The Texas median is 32. Coldest: Amarillo; mildest: Brownsville.
What frost line depth do towns near Harris County use?
2 official codes near Harris County are verified; each links to its document.
| Place | Verified frost line | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Houston | 6 in | 5 mi away |
| Missouri City | 12 in | 22 mi away |
How likely is the soil in Harris County to heave?
USDA rates the sampled soil around Harris County as 100% none for frost action (main soils: Clodine, Gessner, Katy).
USDA NRCS soil survey, 9 sample points within 2 mi. Higher frost action means more risk of heave; see frost heave.
Harris County at a glance
- Frost line depth
- No official local value
- Population (2023 est.)
- 4,835,125
- Mean annual temperature
- 70.5 °F
- ZIP codes (143)
- 77002 · 77003 · 77004 · 77005 · 77006 · 77007 · 77008 · 77009 · 77010 · 77011 · 77012 · 77013 · 77014 · 77015 · 77016 · 77017 · 77018 · 77019 · 77020 · 77021 · 77022 · 77023 · 77024 · 77025 · 77026 · 77027 · 77028 · 77029 · 77030 · 77031 · 77032 · 77033 · 77034 · 77035 · 77036 · 77037 · 77038 · 77039 · 77040 · 77041 · 77042 · 77043 · 77044 · 77045 · 77046 · 77047 · 77048 · 77049 · 77050 · 77051 · 77053 · 77054 · 77055 · 77056 · 77057 · 77058 · 77059 · 77060 · 77061 · 77062 · 77063 · 77064 · 77065 · 77066 · 77067 · 77068 · 77069 · 77070 · 77071 · 77072 · 77073 · 77074 · 77075 · 77076 · 77077 · 77078 · 77079 · 77080 · 77081 · 77082 · 77083 · 77084 · 77085 · 77086 · 77087 · 77088 · 77089 · 77090 · 77091 · 77092 · 77093 · 77094 · 77095 · 77096 · 77098 · 77099 · 77204 · 77336 · 77338 · 77339 · 77345 · 77346 · 77357 · 77365 · 77373 · 77375 · 77377 · 77379 · 77388 · 77389 · 77396 · 77401 · 77429 · 77433 · 77447 · 77449 · 77450 · 77477 · 77484 · 77489 · 77493 · 77494 · 77502 · 77503 · 77504 · 77505 · 77506 · 77507 · 77520 · 77521 · 77523 · 77530 · 77532 · 77535 · 77536 · 77546 · 77547 · 77562 · 77571 · 77581 · 77586 · 77587 · 77598