Washington County, GA Shrink-Swell Risk

Washington County, GA's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Low

Washington County, GA: USDA's soil survey rates 97.8% of the county "Low" for shrink-swell potential (1.11% linear extensibility). That's as favorable a county-level reading as this dataset produces - standard foundation practice, pending one lot's own geotechnical report.

What Washington County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Washington County 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 Washington County will actually do.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Washington County, GA rating "Low", 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.

Where this sits nationally

Nationally, Washington County, GA is the 2,835-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Georgia alone it ranks 131 of 159. The county spans 679 square miles, home to 19,834 people.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Acadia Parish, LA and Nantucket County, MA 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 Georgia

Every county in Georgia is on this site, including Treutlen County, GA and Morgan County, GA. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.