Fayette County, TX Shrink-Swell Risk

What Fayette County, TX's soil means for a foundation

High

USDA's SSURGO data puts Fayette County, TX's soil at "High" shrink-swell potential, an area-weighted linear extensibility of 6.35% across 34.3% of the county's surveyed land. Soil at this level can crack a standard foundation without moisture-control measures - consistent watering near the foundation, correct grading, root barriers - or added structural design.

This is a county figure, not a lot figure

USDA's survey covers the whole of Fayette County, TX at once, not any single address. The real answer for one lot is still a site-specific geotechnical report, running about $1,000-$5,000 (typically near $2,700).

Report cost vs. repair cost

With Fayette County, TX rating "High", the gap between finding out early and finding out late is the whole decision. The report ($1,000-$5,000) is what tells you whether Fayette County's county-level reading applies to your lot; the repair ($5,000-$15,000) is what it costs if you skip that and find out from the cracks instead.

Fayette County's rank among Texas counties

Nationally, Fayette County, TX is the 98-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Texas alone it ranks 37 of 253. The county spans 950 square miles, home to 25,488 people.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Edwards County, KS and Okaloosa County, FL are worth a look for comparison.

How this reading is built, and its real limits · The warning signs of expansive-clay damage, explained

More of Texas

Every county in Texas is on this site, including Hartley County, TX and Calhoun County, TX. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.