Matagorda County, TX Shrink-Swell Risk
Matagorda County, TX's soil, for shrink-swell risk
High
Matagorda County, TX: USDA's soil survey rates 48.2% of the county "High" for shrink-swell potential (8.99% linear extensibility). Ground like this needs active moisture control to keep a conventional foundation from cracking - it's not automatic either way.
What Matagorda County's reading doesn't cover
Two lots a mile apart in Matagorda County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide reading. The real answer for one lot is still a site-specific geotechnical report, running about $1,000-$5,000 (typically near $2,700).
What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it
With Matagorda County, TX rating "High", the gap between finding out early and finding out late is the whole decision. The report ($1,000-$5,000) is what tells you whether Matagorda County's county-level reading applies to your lot; the repair ($5,000-$15,000) is what it costs if you skip that and find out from the cracks instead.
Where this sits nationally
Nationally, Matagorda County, TX is the 42-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Texas alone it ranks 7 of 253. The county spans 1,093 square miles, home to 36,391 people.
For contrast
Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Fayette County, AL and Gem County, ID are worth a look for comparison.
How this reading is built, and its real limits · The warning signs of expansive-clay damage, explained
More of Texas
Every county in Texas is on this site, including Wood County, TX and Walker County, TX. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.