Sacramento County, CA Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Sacramento County, CA

Moderate

Soil across 62% of Sacramento County, CA comes back "Moderate" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 3.29% linear extensibility. A real but modest amount of movement - standard foundations usually hold up, but drainage and moisture control around the foundation still matter more than on low-risk soil.

What this number does and doesn't tell you

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Sacramento County, CA - never a reading for one specific parcel. 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 Sacramento County.

Sacramento County: the real numbers

Sacramento 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.

How Sacramento County, CA compares

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Sacramento County, CA ranks 980 most-constrained nationally, and 16 of 58 within California. Sacramento County, CA is 965 square miles with a population of 1,611,231.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Garfield County, OK and Frederick County, MD 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 California

Every county in California is on this site, including Fresno County, CA and Modoc County, CA. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.