Marengo County, AL Shrink-Swell Risk

Marengo County, AL's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Marengo County, AL: USDA's soil survey rates 54.5% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (4.38% linear extensibility). Conventional foundations are the reasonable expectation here, with routine moisture-control practice rather than special engineering.

What Marengo County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Marengo 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 Marengo County.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Marengo County, AL 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.

Marengo County's rank among Alabama counties

Nationally, Marengo County, AL is the 418-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Alabama alone it ranks 5 of 67. Marengo County, AL is 977 square miles with a population of 18,512.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Chenango County, NY and Latah County, ID 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 Alabama

Every county in Alabama is on this site, including Lee County, AL and Tuscaloosa County, AL. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.