Clay County, NC Shrink-Swell Risk

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

Low

Clay County, NC: USDA's soil survey rates 98.2% of the county "Low" for shrink-swell potential (1.14% linear extensibility). Among the 3,144 counties on this site, that's the clean result: little shrink-swell movement, standard construction the likely outcome.

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 local geotechnical report, typically $1,000-$5,000 (around $2,700 typical), is the only way to know what one lot in Clay County will actually do.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Clay County, NC 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.

Clay County's rank among North Carolina counties

Nationally, Clay County, NC is the 2,813-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within North Carolina alone it ranks 98 of 100. Clay County covers 215 square miles and counts 12,042 residents.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Northampton County, VA and Billings County, ND 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 North Carolina

Every county in North Carolina is on this site, including Craven County, NC and McDowell County, NC. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.