Catron County, NM Shrink-Swell Risk

Catron County, NM's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Catron County, NM: USDA's soil survey rates 47.5% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (4.08% linear extensibility). Conventional foundations are the reasonable expectation here, with routine moisture-control practice rather than special engineering.

What Catron County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Catron County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide reading. A local geotechnical report, typically $1,000-$5,000 (around $2,700 typical), is the only way to know what one lot in Catron County will actually do.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Catron County, NM 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.

Catron County's rank among New Mexico counties

Nationally, Catron County, NM is the 534-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within New Mexico alone it ranks 6 of 32. Catron County covers 6,924 square miles and counts 3,795 residents.

Before you act on this

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Bastrop County, TX and Lincoln County, WA 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 New Mexico

Every county in New Mexico is on this site, including Doña Ana County, NM and McKinley County, NM. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.