Jefferson County, TN Shrink-Swell Risk

Jefferson County, TN's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Jefferson County, TN: USDA's soil survey rates 66% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (3.09% linear extensibility). That's a middle reading: not the sharp swings that crack a foundation outright, but enough that grading and drainage are worth getting right.

What Jefferson County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Jefferson County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide reading. 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 Jefferson County.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Jefferson County, TN rating "Moderate", a geotechnical report is still worthwhile before a build, just less urgent than in a high-risk county. 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.

Jefferson County's rank among Tennessee counties

Nationally, Jefferson County, TN is the 1,125-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Tennessee alone it ranks 14 of 95. Jefferson County covers 275 square miles and counts 59,217 residents.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Osage County, KS and Onondaga County, NY 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

More of Tennessee

Every county in Tennessee is on this site, including Hancock County, TN and Knox County, TN. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.