Foundation repair in Odessa, Texas
Foundation help for homes all over Odessa, including the parts of the city that cross the line into Midland County.
Odessa had 114,428 residents in the 2020 census. It's the seat of Ector County, and part of the city extends east into Midland County. The town grew from a water stop and cattle-shipping point on the Texas and Pacific Railway in 1881, was platted in 1886, and became the county seat when Ector County organized in 1891. The Handbook of Texas says the name was likely picked by railroad workers who thought the land looked like the country around Odessa in Ukraine. The first producing oil well in the county came in on December 28, 1926, and Odessa incorporated the next year.
What makes Odessa ground different?
Ector County sits where the lower shelf of the Great Plains meets the northern edge of the Edwards Plateau, at roughly 2,500 to 3,300 feet. The Handbook notes that less than 1 percent of the county is prime farmland, which says a lot about how thin and sandy much of the soil is. Odessa is a bit drier than Midland, with normals around 12.3 inches of precipitation a year. The Handbook tracks the oil-driven growth: about 750 people in 1925, 5,000 by 1929, and more than 80,000 in the 1950s and 1960s. That means many Odessa neighborhoods date from the middle of the last century, and their foundations have been through decades of wet and dry cycles.
Who issues permits in Odessa?
The Building Inspection Division issues permits and inspects construction citywide from City Hall at 411 W. 8th Street. Applications, document uploads, fees and inspection scheduling run through MGO Connect. The division publishes a residential footing and foundation inspection checklist and a general contractor registration process, and it warns that work by unlicensed trades can bring fines. Ask your contractor which permit applies and who pulls it.
What do Odessa homeowners call about?
- Mid-century houses with floors that roll between piers
- Slab edges that dropped where a downspout drains
- Cracks that showed up after a felt earthquake northeast of town
- Foundation checks near UTPB and Odessa College for rentals
Common questions
Do you cover the Midland County side of Odessa?
Yes. If your address is inside Odessa city limits, Odessa's permit office applies even on the Midland County side. Call with your address.
How do I apply for an Odessa permit?
Through MGO Connect, the city's online portal. Your contractor usually handles it, but ask them to confirm the permit is pulled before work starts.
Services in Odessa
- Slab foundation repairSupport and lift a section of concrete slab that has dropped, often at a corner, the garage or one long side.
- Pier-and-beam foundation repairRe-shim and add supports, reset sunken piers, and replace damaged sills and joists under raised-floor houses.
- Foundation piersPressed concrete, steel push, helical and drilled piers, and what caliche does to pier depth.
- Foundation evaluation and crack repairFloor elevations, a read on which cracks are structural, and crack repair once the movement is dealt with.
- Foundation drainageGutters, downspout extensions, regrading and sprinkler fixes that keep water from soaking the soil at the beam.
Nearby areas
New cracks in the brick, or a door that suddenly drags?
Call and get connected with a foundation repair contractor who works in Midland and Odessa.