Mercer County, KY Shrink-Swell Risk

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

Moderate

Mercer County, KY: USDA's soil survey rates 76.1% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (3.65% linear extensibility). That's a middle reading: not the sharp swings that crack a foundation outright, but enough that grading and drainage are worth getting right.

What Mercer County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Mercer 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 Mercer County.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Mercer County, KY 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.

How Mercer County, KY compares

Nationally, Mercer County, KY is the 758-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Kentucky alone it ranks 21 of 120. The county spans 249 square miles, home to 23,515 people.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Saline County, NE and Mathews County, VA 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 Daviess County, KY and Livingston County, KY. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.