Calcasieu Parish, LA Shrink-Swell Risk

Calcasieu Parish, LA's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Calcasieu Parish, LA: USDA's soil survey rates 60.9% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (3.52% 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 Calcasieu Parish's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Calcasieu Parish can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide reading. The real answer for one lot is still a site-specific geotechnical report, running about $1,000-$5,000 (typically near $2,700).

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Calcasieu Parish, LA 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.

Calcasieu Parish's rank among Louisiana counties

Nationally, Calcasieu Parish, LA is the 830-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Louisiana alone it ranks 45 of 64. The county spans 1,064 square miles, home to 206,861 people.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Nassau County, NY and Terry County, TX 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 Louisiana

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