Dare County, NC Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Dare County, NC

Low

Soil across 100% of Dare County, NC comes back "Low" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 1.55% 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 Dare County, NC - 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 Dare County will actually do.

Dare County: the real numbers

Dare 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.

Dare County's rank among North Carolina counties

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Dare County, NC ranks 2,445 most-constrained nationally, and 66 of 100 within North Carolina. Dare County, NC is 383 square miles with a population of 38,183.

Before you act on this

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Caldwell County, NC and Lassen County, CA 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 North Carolina

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