Fort Bend County, TX Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Fort Bend County, TX

High

Soil across 44.3% of Fort Bend County, TX comes back "High" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 8.78% linear extensibility. 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.

What this number does and doesn't tell you

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Fort Bend County, TX - 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 Fort Bend County will actually do.

Fort Bend County: the real numbers

Fort Bend County's soil reading is exactly the case where a report before construction, or before cracks widen, pays for itself. A geotechnical report runs $1,000-$5,000 (typically $2,700); an actual foundation repair, once cracking sets in, typically runs $5,000-$15,000 (around $10,000 typical) - roughly 4x the report.

Where this sits nationally

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Fort Bend County, TX ranks 47 most-constrained nationally, and 10 of 253 within Texas. Fort Bend County, TX is 862 square miles with a population of 958,434.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Pocahontas County, IA and Fulton County, PA are worth a look for comparison.

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

Elsewhere in Texas

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