Dallas County, AL Shrink-Swell Risk

Dallas County, AL's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Dallas County, AL: USDA's soil survey rates 55.7% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (3.81% linear extensibility). A real but modest amount of movement - standard foundations usually hold up, but drainage and moisture control around the foundation still matter more than on low-risk soil.

What Dallas County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Dallas 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 Dallas County.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Dallas County, AL rating "Moderate", 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.

Dallas County's rank among Alabama counties

Nationally, Dallas County, AL is the 673-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Alabama alone it ranks 9 of 67. Dallas County, AL is 979 square miles with a population of 35,545.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Petroleum County, MT and Harford County, MD 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 Alabama

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