Madison Parish, LA Shrink-Swell Risk

Madison Parish's SSURGO shrink-swell reading

Very High

In Madison Parish, LA, 72.1% of the surveyed soil carries a "Very High" shrink-swell rating, 12.1% linear extensibility on average. This is the reading most likely to explain cracking a homeowner is already seeing. An engineered foundation design, not a conventional footing, is the realistic expectation for new construction.

Before you rely on this for one address

Madison Parish's reading is an average across the whole county, not a promise about any one lot inside it. The real answer for one lot is still a site-specific geotechnical report, running about $1,000-$5,000 (typically near $2,700).

Budgeting for Madison Parish, LA

Given Madison Parish's rating, spending a few thousand now is the way to avoid spending tens of thousands later. 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.

Madison Parish's rank among Louisiana counties

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Madison Parish, LA ranks 10 most-constrained nationally, and 7 of 64 within Louisiana. Madison Parish covers 624 square miles and counts 9,093 residents.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Polk County, IA and Camden County, NC 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 Louisiana

Every county in Louisiana is on this site, including Iberville Parish, LA and Concordia Parish, LA. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.