Vernon Parish, LA Shrink-Swell Risk

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

Moderate

Vernon Parish, LA: USDA's soil survey rates 72.6% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (3.06% 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 Vernon Parish's reading doesn't cover

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

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Vernon 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.

Vernon Parish's rank among Louisiana counties

Nationally, Vernon Parish, LA is the 1,147-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Louisiana alone it ranks 50 of 64. Vernon Parish covers 1,327 square miles and counts 45,819 residents.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Salt Lake County, UT and San Saba County, TX 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 Tensas Parish, LA and Concordia Parish, LA. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.