El Paso County, CO Shrink-Swell Risk
Shrink-swell potential in El Paso County, CO
Low
Soil across 89.5% of El Paso County, CO comes back "Low" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 1.88% linear extensibility. That's as favorable a county-level reading as this dataset produces - standard foundation practice, pending one lot's own geotechnical report.
What this number does and doesn't tell you
This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in El Paso County, CO - 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 El Paso County will actually do.
El Paso County: the real numbers
El Paso 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.
El Paso County's rank among Colorado counties
Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, El Paso County, CO ranks 2,091 most-constrained nationally, and 43 of 63 within Colorado. The county spans 2,126 square miles, home to 752,772 people.
Before you act on this
Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Wetzel County, WV and Knott County, KY 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 Colorado
Every county in Colorado is on this site, including Summit County, CO and Baca County, CO. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.