Rapides Parish, LA Shrink-Swell Risk

Rapides Parish, LA's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Rapides Parish, LA: USDA's soil survey rates 58.1% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (4.29% 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 Rapides Parish's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Rapides Parish 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 Rapides Parish will actually do.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Rapides Parish, LA 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 Rapides Parish, LA compares

Nationally, Rapides Parish, LA is the 441-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Louisiana alone it ranks 39 of 64. Rapides Parish covers 1,324 square miles and counts 125,899 residents.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Forest County, PA and Thomas County, KS 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 Louisiana

Every county in Louisiana is on this site, including Natchitoches Parish, LA and Lafourche Parish, LA. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.