DeKalb County, GA Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in DeKalb County, GA

Low

Soil across 98.6% of DeKalb County, GA comes back "Low" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 1.54% 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 DeKalb County, GA - never a reading for one specific parcel. The real answer for one lot is still a site-specific geotechnical report, running about $1,000-$5,000 (typically near $2,700).

DeKalb County: the real numbers

DeKalb 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 DeKalb County, GA compares

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, DeKalb County, GA ranks 2,447 most-constrained nationally, and 71 of 159 within Georgia. DeKalb County covers 268 square miles and counts 770,307 residents.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Whitley County, KY and Wirt County, WV 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 Georgia

Every county in Georgia is on this site, including Butts County, GA and Taliaferro County, GA. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.