Martin County, TX Shrink-Swell Risk

Martin County's SSURGO shrink-swell reading

Low

In Martin County, TX, 88.3% of the surveyed soil carries a "Low" shrink-swell rating, 2.64% linear extensibility on average. That's as favorable a county-level reading as this dataset produces - standard foundation practice, pending one lot's own geotechnical report.

Before you rely on this for one address

Martin County's reading is an average across the whole county, not a promise about any one lot inside it. 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 Martin County.

Budgeting for Martin County, TX

Martin County's soil reading points toward standard foundation practice as the likely outcome, not the exception. 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

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Martin County, TX ranks 1,458 most-constrained nationally, and 213 of 253 within Texas. Martin County covers 915 square miles and counts 5,179 residents.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Henry County, MO and Spokane County, WA 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

Elsewhere in Texas

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