Ascension Parish, LA Shrink-Swell Risk

Ascension Parish's SSURGO shrink-swell reading

Very High

In Ascension Parish, LA, 50.1% of the surveyed soil carries a "Very High" shrink-swell rating, 9.69% linear extensibility on average. Ground that moves this much routinely produces the classic expansive-soil symptoms: diagonal stair-step cracking, doors that stick seasonally, uneven floors. A standard footing is a poor bet here.

Before you rely on this for one address

Ascension Parish's reading is an average across the whole county, not a promise about any one lot inside it. The real answer for one lot is still a site-specific geotechnical report, running about $1,000-$5,000 (typically near $2,700).

Budgeting for Ascension Parish, LA

Ascension Parish's soil reading is exactly the case where a report before construction, or before cracks widen, pays for itself. A geotechnical report runs $1,000-$5,000 (typically $2,700); an actual foundation repair, once cracking sets in, typically runs $5,000-$15,000 (around $10,000 typical) - roughly 4x the report.

Ascension Parish's rank among Louisiana counties

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Ascension Parish, LA ranks 34 most-constrained nationally, and 19 of 64 within Louisiana. The county spans 290 square miles, home to 133,534 people.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Morgan County, IN and Fulton County, GA are worth a look for comparison.

How this reading is built, and its real limits · The warning signs of expansive-clay damage, explained

Elsewhere in Louisiana

Every county in Louisiana is on this site, including Vernon Parish, LA and Plaquemines Parish, LA. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.