Charles County, MD Shrink-Swell Risk

Charles County's SSURGO shrink-swell reading

Low

In Charles County, MD, 96.1% of the surveyed soil carries a "Low" shrink-swell rating, 1.32% linear extensibility on average. Among the 3,144 counties on this site, that's the clean result: little shrink-swell movement, standard construction the likely outcome.

Before you rely on this for one address

Charles County's reading is an average across the whole county, not a promise about any one lot inside it. 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 Charles County.

Budgeting for Charles County, MD

Charles 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.

Charles County's rank among Maryland counties

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Charles County, MD ranks 2,682 most-constrained nationally, and 18 of 24 within Maryland. The county spans 458 square miles, home to 174,478 people.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Coos County, NH and Hood 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

Elsewhere in Maryland

Every county in Maryland is on this site, including Somerset County, MD and Montgomery County, MD. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.