Breathitt County, KY Shrink-Swell Risk

Breathitt County's SSURGO shrink-swell reading

Low

In Breathitt County, KY, 96.8% of the surveyed soil carries a "Low" shrink-swell rating, 1.1% linear extensibility on average. That's as favorable a county-level reading as this dataset produces - standard foundation practice, pending one lot's own geotechnical report.

Before you rely on this for one address

Breathitt County's reading is an average across the whole county, not a promise about any one lot inside it. A local geotechnical report, typically $1,000-$5,000 (around $2,700 typical), is the only way to know what one lot in Breathitt County will actually do.

Budgeting for Breathitt County, KY

Breathitt County's soil reading points toward standard foundation practice as the likely outcome, not the exception. 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.

Where this sits nationally

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Breathitt County, KY ranks 2,848 most-constrained nationally, and 116 of 120 within Kentucky. Breathitt County covers 492 square miles and counts 12,804 residents.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Will County, IL and Roosevelt County, NM 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

Elsewhere in Kentucky

Every county in Kentucky is on this site, including Greenup County, KY and Johnson County, KY. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.