De Soto Parish, LA Shrink-Swell Risk
Shrink-swell potential in De Soto Parish, LA
Moderate
Soil across 37.7% of De Soto Parish, LA comes back "Moderate" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 4.33% 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 this number does and doesn't tell you
This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in De Soto Parish, LA - 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 De Soto Parish will actually do.
De Soto Parish: the real numbers
De Soto Parish'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.
Where this sits nationally
Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, De Soto Parish, LA ranks 430 most-constrained nationally, and 37 of 64 within Louisiana. The county spans 876 square miles, home to 27,274 people.
For contrast
Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Wayne County, NE and Brunswick County, NC 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 Louisiana
Every county in Louisiana is on this site, including St. Tammany Parish, LA and Union Parish, LA. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.