Dale County, AL Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Dale County, AL

Low

Soil across 80.2% of Dale County, AL comes back "Low" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 1.87% 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 this number does and doesn't tell you

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Dale County, AL - never a reading for one specific parcel. A local geotechnical report, typically $1,000-$5,000 (around $2,700 typical), is the only way to know what one lot in Dale County will actually do.

Dale County: the real numbers

Dale 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 Dale County, AL compares

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Dale County, AL ranks 2,106 most-constrained nationally, and 34 of 67 within Alabama. Dale County covers 561 square miles and counts 50,067 residents.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Currituck County, NC and Hancock County, OH 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 Alabama

Every county in Alabama is on this site, including Tallapoosa County, AL and Shelby County, AL. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.