Refugio County, TX Shrink-Swell Risk

Refugio County's SSURGO shrink-swell reading

Very High

In Refugio County, TX, 41.2% of the surveyed soil carries a "Very High" shrink-swell rating, 9.51% linear extensibility on average. That's the range most associated with real foundation cracking - stair-step cracks in mortar joints, sticking doors, gaps around window frames - and it typically needs an engineered foundation (post-tension slab, drilled piers), not a standard footing.

Before you rely on this for one address

Refugio County's reading is an average across the whole county, not a promise about any one lot inside it. A local geotechnical report, typically $1,000-$5,000 (around $2,700 typical), is the only way to know what one lot in Refugio County will actually do.

Budgeting for Refugio County, TX

Refugio County's soil reading is exactly the case where a report before construction, or before cracks widen, pays for itself. A geotechnical report runs $1,000-$5,000 (typically $2,700); an actual foundation repair, once cracking sets in, typically runs $5,000-$15,000 (around $10,000 typical) - roughly 4x the report.

Refugio County's rank among Texas counties

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Refugio County, TX ranks 37 most-constrained nationally, and 4 of 253 within Texas. The county spans 770 square miles, home to 6,739 people.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Sioux County, IA and Edmonson County, KY are worth a look for comparison.

How this reading is built, and its real limits · The warning signs of expansive-clay damage, explained

Elsewhere in Texas

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