Lowndes County, MS Shrink-Swell Risk

Lowndes County, MS's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Lowndes County, MS: USDA's soil survey rates 55% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (4.91% linear extensibility). A real but modest amount of movement - standard foundations usually hold up, but drainage and moisture control around the foundation still matter more than on low-risk soil.

What Lowndes County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Lowndes County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide reading. A local geotechnical report, typically $1,000-$5,000 (around $2,700 typical), is the only way to know what one lot in Lowndes County will actually do.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Lowndes County, MS 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.

How Lowndes County, MS compares

Nationally, Lowndes County, MS is the 307-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Mississippi alone it ranks 13 of 82. Lowndes County covers 506 square miles and counts 57,210 residents.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Jersey County, IL and Stewart County, GA 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 Mississippi

Every county in Mississippi is on this site, including Harrison County, MS and Greene County, MS. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.