Marshall County, KY Shrink-Swell Risk

Marshall County, KY's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Low

Marshall County, KY: USDA's soil survey rates 98.9% of the county "Low" for shrink-swell potential (1.3% linear extensibility). That's as favorable a county-level reading as this dataset produces - standard foundation practice, pending one lot's own geotechnical report.

What Marshall County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Marshall 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 Marshall County will actually do.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Marshall County, KY rating "Low", 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.

Where this sits nationally

Nationally, Marshall County, KY is the 2,699-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Kentucky alone it ranks 109 of 120. The county spans 302 square miles, home to 31,734 people.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Martin County, TX and Montgomery County, IL 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 Kentucky

Every county in Kentucky is on this site, including Trigg County, KY and Breckinridge County, KY. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.