Clay County, IN Shrink-Swell Risk

Clay County, IN's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Low

Clay County, IN: USDA's soil survey rates 72.7% of the county "Low" for shrink-swell potential (2.49% linear extensibility). That's the easiest starting point on this site's scale - a standard foundation is the reasonable default here, though any one lot can still differ.

What Clay County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Clay County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide reading. 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 Clay County.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Clay County, IN rating "Low", 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.

Where this sits nationally

Nationally, Clay County, IN is the 1,572-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Indiana alone it ranks 63 of 90. Clay County covers 358 square miles and counts 26,424 residents.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Henry County, OH and Val Verde 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 Indiana

Every county in Indiana is on this site, including St. Joseph County, IN and Owen County, IN. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.