Clay County, KY Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Clay County, KY

Low

Soil across 98.6% of Clay County, KY comes back "Low" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 1.21% 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 this number does and doesn't tell you

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Clay County, KY - never a reading for one specific parcel. 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.

Clay County: the real numbers

Clay 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.

How Clay County, KY compares

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Clay County, KY ranks 2,765 most-constrained nationally, and 112 of 120 within Kentucky. The county spans 469 square miles, home to 19,592 people.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Burnet County, TX and Madison County, ID 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 Powell County, KY and Meade County, KY. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.