James City County, VA Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in James City County, VA

Low

Soil across 57.9% of James City County, VA comes back "Low" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 2.86% linear extensibility. Among the 3,144 counties on this site, that's the clean result: little shrink-swell movement, standard construction the likely outcome.

What this number does and doesn't tell you

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in James City County, VA - never a reading for one specific parcel. A site-specific soil report, usually $1,000-$5,000, is what an engineer would actually pull before designing a foundation on a lot in James City County.

James City County: the real numbers

James City 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 James City County, VA compares

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, James City County, VA ranks 1,297 most-constrained nationally, and 16 of 114 within Virginia. James City County covers 142 square miles and counts 82,797 residents.

Before you act on this

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Windham County, VT and Pulaski 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 Virginia

Every county in Virginia is on this site, including Russell County, VA and Wise County, VA. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.