Leon County, TX Shrink-Swell Risk

Leon County, TX's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Leon County, TX: USDA's soil survey rates 58.2% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (3.38% 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 Leon County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Leon 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 Leon County.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Leon County, TX 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.

Leon County's rank among Texas counties

Nationally, Leon County, TX is the 922-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Texas alone it ranks 167 of 253. Leon County, TX is 1,073 square miles with a population of 16,698.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Jasper County, SC and Wyandotte County, KS 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 Texas

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