San Benito County, CA Shrink-Swell Risk

What San Benito County, CA's soil means for a foundation

Moderate

USDA's SSURGO data puts San Benito County, CA's soil at "Moderate" shrink-swell potential, an area-weighted linear extensibility of 4.01% across 42.5% of the county's surveyed land. That's a middle reading: not the sharp swings that crack a foundation outright, but enough that grading and drainage are worth getting right.

This is a county figure, not a lot figure

USDA's survey covers the whole of San Benito County, CA at once, not any single address. A local geotechnical report, typically $1,000-$5,000 (around $2,700 typical), is the only way to know what one lot in San Benito County will actually do.

Report cost vs. repair cost

With San Benito County, CA 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 San Benito County, CA compares

Nationally, San Benito County, CA is the 557-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within California alone it ranks 9 of 58. San Benito County covers 1,389 square miles and counts 69,159 residents.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Duval County, TX and Hooker County, NE 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 California

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