Washington County, AL Shrink-Swell Risk
Washington County's SSURGO shrink-swell reading
Low
In Washington County, AL, 89.1% of the surveyed soil carries a "Low" shrink-swell rating, 1.23% linear extensibility on average. Among the 3,144 counties on this site, that's the clean result: little shrink-swell movement, standard construction the likely outcome.
Before you rely on this for one address
Washington 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 Washington County will actually do.
Budgeting for Washington County, AL
Washington 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.
Where this sits nationally
Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Washington County, AL ranks 2,753 most-constrained nationally, and 64 of 67 within Alabama. Washington County, AL is 1,080 square miles with a population of 15,018.
See how another county compares
Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Columbia County, PA and Mason County, WV 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 Alabama
Every county in Alabama is on this site, including Clarke County, AL and Pickens County, AL. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.