Austin County, TX Shrink-Swell Risk

Austin County, TX's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Austin County, TX: USDA's soil survey rates 57.9% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (4.88% linear extensibility). A real but modest amount of movement - standard foundations usually hold up, but drainage and moisture control around the foundation still matter more than on low-risk soil.

What Austin County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Austin County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide reading. A site-specific soil report, usually $1,000-$5,000, is what an engineer would actually pull before designing a foundation on a lot in Austin County.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Austin County, TX rating "Moderate", a geotechnical report is still worthwhile before a build, just less urgent than in a high-risk county. A geotechnical report runs $1,000-$5,000, typically around $2,700. Foundation repair, if a specific lot turns out to differ from the county average, runs $5,000-$15,000.

Austin County's rank among Texas counties

Nationally, Austin County, TX is the 312-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Texas alone it ranks 77 of 253. The county spans 647 square miles, home to 32,546 people.

Before you act on this

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Dickenson County, VA and Gallatin County, MT are worth a look for comparison.

How this reading is built, and its real limits · Moisture management: the cheap fix that works on any soil

More of Texas

Every county in Texas is on this site, including Caldwell County, TX and Henderson County, TX. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.