Carter County, KY Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Carter County, KY

Moderate

Soil across 57.1% of Carter County, KY comes back "Moderate" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 3.31% linear extensibility. Conventional foundations are the reasonable expectation here, with routine moisture-control practice rather than special engineering.

What this number does and doesn't tell you

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Carter County, KY - never a reading for one specific parcel. The real answer for one lot is still a site-specific geotechnical report, running about $1,000-$5,000 (typically near $2,700).

Carter County: the real numbers

Carter 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.

Carter County's rank among Kentucky counties

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Carter County, KY ranks 967 most-constrained nationally, and 37 of 120 within Kentucky. The county spans 409 square miles, home to 26,098 people.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Storey County, NV and Bath County, VA 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 Leslie County, KY and Johnson County, KY. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.