Liberty County, Texas · Liberty
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Liberty County averages 1 night a year at 20°F or colder, mostly midwinter, and 7% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 17.2 times a year here, most often in May. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
7% of homes here predate 1960, when clay and cast iron sewer laterals were standard. Roots and cracks in those lines are a common cause of backups.
In Liberty County, 11.47 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
13% of occupied homes in Liberty County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Texas county median of 6.5%.
About 168 nights a year here stay at 65°F or warmer, so basements and crawl spaces can grow mold even without a leak.
Local risk profile
Liberty County covers 1,158 square miles of eastern Texas, with about 103,380 residents and 36,121 homes. Besides Liberty, the county seat, the biggest communities are Dayton, Cleveland and Plum Grove. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1996.
46/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Liberty County ranks 157 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Liberty County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Liberty County is milder than most of Texas, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. It averaged 8 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 1 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 232 Texas counties that's 159th.
With only about 8 freezing nights a year, many homes here aren't built for cold, so a single arctic outbreak can burst pipes across the county. The record low in this data was about 12°F, on February 16, 2021.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Texas. The county gets about 62.4 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 17.2 days of an inch or more (10th of 232). Those downpours cluster in May, June and December, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 11.47 inches on August 28, 2017. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 29.22 inches (through August 29, 2017).
Housing
Texas's 232 counties range widely in housing age; Liberty ranks 198th, with 28% of its homes built before 1980.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 43% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
About 29% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
33% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above the Texas county median of 13.4%. Their water lines run under the floor behind the skirting, so a torn skirt or failed heat tape freezes them faster than lines in a site-built house.
Beyond water
Liberty County averages 168 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in August. Keep indoor humidity under 60%, as the EPA advises, and dry any leak within 24 to 48 hours; in a humid month a wet basement left alone won't dry by itself.
Mold remediation: what to expectMain heating fuel in Liberty County's occupied homes: 12% utility gas, 74% electric, 12% propane and under 1% wood. Propane heat is more common here than in most Texas counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Liberty County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Liberty gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Jefferson County has the oldest housing nearby, with 54% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Liberty | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 7.4% | 20% | 206 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 28% | 46% | 198 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 43% | 26% | 33 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 33% | 13% | 10 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 14% | 17% | 145 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 13% | 6.5% | 54 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 1/yr | 3/yr | 159 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 17/yr | 7.8/yr | 10 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 8/yr | 27/yr | 192 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 168/yr | 129/yr | 41 of 232 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Texas county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Liberty County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in May, June and December.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024); weather from NOAA nClimGrid-Daily county averages (EpiNOAA), 2015–2024, averaged across the county; county boundaries from Census TIGER. Reviewed 2026-10-21. Methodology