Georgia: basement moisture and foundation risk by county
159 counties, ranked by our combined index. Highest combined risk is Muscogee County (56), lowest is Stephens County (26). The worst soil for foundation cracks specifically is in Henry County.
| County | Index | Moisture | Cracks | Water table | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muscogee County | 56 | 44 | 54 | 82 | Gulf Coastal Plain |
| Chattahoochee County | 51 | 41 | 55 | 66 | Gulf Coastal Plain |
| Worth County | 51 | 44 | 39 | 82 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Bulloch County | 50 | 44 | 35 | 82 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Schley County | 50 | 42 | 39 | 82 | Gulf Coastal Plain |
| Wilcox County | 50 | 44 | 48 | 66 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Bibb County | 49 | 44 | 43 | 66 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Coffee County | 49 | 42 | 48 | 66 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Harris County | 49 | 43 | 46 | 66 | Gulf Coastal Plain |
| Macon County | 49 | 40 | 38 | 82 | Gulf Coastal Plain |
| Mitchell County | 49 | 41 | 49 | 66 | Gulf Coastal Plain |
| Brantley County | 48 | 44 | 30 | 82 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Dodge County | 48 | 43 | 43 | 66 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Montgomery County | 48 | 40 | 47 | 66 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Seminole County | 48 | 40 | 46 | 66 | Gulf Coastal Plain |
| Pulaski County | 47 | 42 | 39 | 66 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Stewart County | 47 | 40 | 44 | 66 | Gulf Coastal Plain |
| Terrell County | 47 | 42 | 55 | 46 | Gulf Coastal Plain |
| Baker County | 46 | 40 | 41 | 66 | Gulf Coastal Plain |
| Crisp County | 46 | 40 | 30 | 82 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Dougherty County | 46 | 39 | 55 | 46 | Gulf Coastal Plain |
| Douglas County | 46 | 36 | 61 | 46 | Piedmont |
| Early County | 46 | 43 | 35 | 66 | Gulf Coastal Plain |
| Emanuel County | 46 | 44 | 49 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Franklin County | 46 | 36 | 61 | 46 | Piedmont |
| Glynn County | 46 | 40 | 39 | 66 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Greene County | 46 | 37 | 58 | 46 | Piedmont |
| Houston County | 46 | 44 | 49 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Putnam County | 46 | 36 | 61 | 46 | Piedmont |
| Telfair County | 46 | 42 | 26 | 82 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Toombs County | 46 | 44 | 48 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Atkinson County | 45 | 41 | 23 | 82 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Banks County | 45 | 35 | 57 | 46 | Piedmont |
| Chatham County | 45 | 44 | 30 | 66 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Clay County | 45 | 41 | 49 | 46 | Gulf Coastal Plain |
| Colquitt County | 45 | 43 | 20 | 82 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Evans County | 45 | 42 | 48 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Jones County | 45 | 38 | 65 | 30 | Piedmont |
| Liberty County | 45 | 41 | 34 | 66 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| McIntosh County | 45 | 41 | 37 | 66 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Pickens County | 45 | 35 | 57 | 46 | Piedmont |
| Bartow County | 44 | 36 | 53 | 46 | Ridge and Valley |
| Berrien County | 44 | 44 | 43 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Cook County | 44 | 40 | 34 | 66 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Dooly County | 44 | 43 | 43 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Forsyth County | 44 | 36 | 64 | 30 | Piedmont |
| Haralson County | 44 | 37 | 53 | 46 | Piedmont |
| Hart County | 44 | 38 | 50 | 46 | Piedmont |
| Jefferson County | 44 | 37 | 64 | 30 | Piedmont |
| Lowndes County | 44 | 44 | 43 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Pierce County | 44 | 43 | 43 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Randolph County | 44 | 41 | 46 | 46 | Gulf Coastal Plain |
| Rockdale County | 44 | 35 | 54 | 46 | Piedmont |
| Spalding County | 44 | 36 | 64 | 30 | Piedmont |
| Bacon County | 43 | 41 | 30 | 66 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Brooks County | 43 | 44 | 40 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Clayton County | 43 | 35 | 53 | 46 | Piedmont |
| Floyd County | 43 | 38 | 48 | 46 | Ridge and Valley |
| Gwinnett County | 43 | 39 | 57 | 30 | Piedmont |
| Henry County | 43 | 34 | 65 | 30 | Piedmont |
| Jackson County | 43 | 35 | 65 | 30 | Piedmont |
| Johnson County | 43 | 44 | 39 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Screven County | 43 | 42 | 16 | 82 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Talbot County | 43 | 39 | 46 | 46 | Gulf Coastal Plain |
| Tift County | 43 | 44 | 40 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Butts County | 42 | 36 | 59 | 30 | Piedmont |
| Crawford County | 42 | 43 | 22 | 66 | Gulf Coastal Plain |
| Echols County | 42 | 43 | 22 | 66 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Grady County | 42 | 41 | 26 | 66 | Gulf Coastal Plain |
| Laurens County | 42 | 40 | 43 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Long County | 42 | 42 | 25 | 66 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Morgan County | 42 | 34 | 51 | 46 | Piedmont |
| Peach County | 42 | 40 | 43 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Quitman County | 42 | 42 | 39 | 46 | Gulf Coastal Plain |
| Taliaferro County | 42 | 36 | 60 | 30 | Piedmont |
| Tattnall County | 42 | 43 | 38 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Webster County | 42 | 41 | 26 | 66 | Gulf Coastal Plain |
| Appling County | 41 | 40 | 39 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Bryan County | 41 | 40 | 25 | 66 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Candler County | 41 | 40 | 25 | 66 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Effingham County | 41 | 40 | 39 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Lanier County | 41 | 43 | 34 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Meriwether County | 41 | 38 | 43 | 46 | Piedmont |
| Treutlen County | 41 | 43 | 35 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Wayne County | 41 | 43 | 21 | 66 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Wilkinson County | 41 | 44 | 20 | 66 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Bleckley County | 40 | 44 | 30 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Charlton County | 40 | 41 | 19 | 66 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Decatur County | 40 | 41 | 34 | 46 | Gulf Coastal Plain |
| Hall County | 40 | 38 | 39 | 46 | Piedmont |
| Jenkins County | 40 | 40 | 36 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Miller County | 40 | 40 | 37 | 46 | Gulf Coastal Plain |
| Paulding County | 40 | 38 | 38 | 46 | Piedmont |
| Polk County | 40 | 33 | 57 | 30 | Ridge and Valley |
| Richmond County | 40 | 34 | 44 | 46 | Piedmont |
| Twiggs County | 40 | 43 | 32 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Ware County | 40 | 42 | 19 | 66 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Ben Hill County | 39 | 42 | 30 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Dawson County | 39 | 36 | 38 | 46 | Piedmont |
| Jasper County | 39 | 35 | 40 | 46 | Piedmont |
| Madison County | 39 | 36 | 38 | 46 | Piedmont |
| Monroe County | 39 | 34 | 42 | 46 | Piedmont |
| Newton County | 39 | 34 | 62 | 16 | Piedmont |
| Troup County | 39 | 36 | 50 | 30 | Piedmont |
| Wheeler County | 39 | 42 | 30 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Carroll County | 38 | 37 | 35 | 46 | Piedmont |
| Clarke County | 38 | 39 | 30 | 46 | Piedmont |
| Clinch County | 38 | 41 | 29 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Coweta County | 38 | 38 | 32 | 46 | Piedmont |
| DeKalb County | 38 | 36 | 57 | 16 | Piedmont |
| Elbert County | 38 | 35 | 38 | 46 | Piedmont |
| Fulton County | 38 | 34 | 59 | 16 | Piedmont |
| Hancock County | 38 | 39 | 32 | 46 | Piedmont |
| Irwin County | 38 | 42 | 26 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Lamar County | 38 | 35 | 48 | 30 | Piedmont |
| Marion County | 38 | 40 | 29 | 46 | Gulf Coastal Plain |
| Oglethorpe County | 38 | 38 | 31 | 46 | Piedmont |
| Upson County | 38 | 38 | 43 | 30 | Piedmont |
| Burke County | 37 | 36 | 32 | 46 | Piedmont |
| Camden County | 37 | 41 | 25 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Fayette County | 37 | 35 | 56 | 16 | Piedmont |
| Jeff Davis County | 37 | 41 | 26 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Washington County | 37 | 38 | 52 | 16 | Piedmont |
| Calhoun County | 36 | 41 | 21 | 46 | Gulf Coastal Plain |
| Lee County | 36 | 39 | 26 | 46 | Gulf Coastal Plain |
| Lincoln County | 36 | 38 | 39 | 30 | Piedmont |
| Oconee County | 36 | 36 | 41 | 30 | Piedmont |
| Taylor County | 36 | 41 | 21 | 46 | Gulf Coastal Plain |
| Thomas County | 36 | 42 | 20 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Turner County | 36 | 44 | 17 | 46 | Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain |
| Columbia County | 35 | 38 | 44 | 16 | Piedmont |
| Gilmer County | 35 | 31 | 34 | 46 | Blue Ridge Mountains |
| Glascock County | 35 | 38 | 34 | 30 | Piedmont |
| Pike County | 35 | 35 | 38 | 30 | Piedmont |
| Sumter County | 35 | 39 | 23 | 46 | Gulf Coastal Plain |
| Cobb County | 34 | 39 | 29 | 30 | Piedmont |
| Lumpkin County | 34 | 31 | 30 | 46 | Blue Ridge Mountains |
| Walton County | 34 | 34 | 38 | 30 | Piedmont |
| Catoosa County | 33 | 30 | 39 | 30 | Blue Ridge Mountains |
| Heard County | 33 | 34 | 33 | 30 | Piedmont |
| Union County | 33 | 34 | 34 | 30 | Blue Ridge Mountains |
| Chattooga County | 32 | 31 | 34 | 30 | Blue Ridge Mountains |
| McDuffie County | 32 | 36 | 38 | 16 | Piedmont |
| Barrow County | 31 | 39 | 32 | 16 | Piedmont |
| Habersham County | 31 | 30 | 33 | 30 | Blue Ridge Mountains |
| Rabun County | 31 | 31 | 19 | 46 | Blue Ridge Mountains |
| Towns County | 31 | 30 | 34 | 30 | Blue Ridge Mountains |
| Wilkes County | 31 | 35 | 35 | 16 | Piedmont |
| Baldwin County | 30 | 38 | 30 | 16 | Piedmont |
| Dade County | 30 | 31 | 39 | 16 | Blue Ridge Mountains |
| Fannin County | 30 | 30 | 29 | 30 | Blue Ridge Mountains |
| Gordon County | 30 | 32 | 17 | 46 | Blue Ridge Mountains |
| Murray County | 30 | 33 | 25 | 30 | Blue Ridge Mountains |
| Warren County | 30 | 37 | 31 | 16 | Piedmont |
| White County | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | Blue Ridge Mountains |
| Cherokee County | 29 | 36 | 29 | 16 | Piedmont |
| Walker County | 28 | 32 | 21 | 30 | Blue Ridge Mountains |
| Whitfield County | 28 | 33 | 20 | 30 | Blue Ridge Mountains |
| Stephens County | 26 | 32 | 16 | 30 | Blue Ridge Mountains |
Values from USDA NRCS SSURGO where available, otherwise our regional model — each county page states which. Methodology.
The physiographic regions inside Georgia
State lines are political; soil follows geology. These are the distinct ground types inside Georgia and why each behaves the way it does.
Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain
Low, flat and wet. Groundwater sits close to the surface for much of the year, which is why houses here sit on slabs or piers rather than over basements. Where clays are present they are moderately expansive; where sand dominates, the risk is moisture, not movement.
57 counties: Appling County, Atkinson County, Bacon County, Ben Hill County, Berrien County, Bibb County, Bleckley County, Brantley County, Brooks County, Bryan County, Bulloch County, Camden County, Candler County, Charlton County, Chatham County, Clinch County, Coffee County, Colquitt County, Cook County, Crisp County, Dodge County, Dooly County, Echols County, Effingham County, Emanuel County, Evans County, Glynn County, Houston County, Irwin County, Jeff Davis County, Jenkins County, Johnson County, Lanier County, Laurens County, Liberty County, Long County, Lowndes County, McIntosh County, Montgomery County, Peach County, Pierce County, Pulaski County, Screven County, Tattnall County, Telfair County, Thomas County, Tift County, Toombs County, Treutlen County, Turner County, Twiggs County, Ware County, Wayne County, Wheeler County, Wilcox County, Wilkinson County, Worth County
Piedmont
Saprolite is weathered rock that keeps its structure, so water moves through it along relict joints unpredictably. The Triassic basins inside the Piedmont are islands of strongly expansive clay.
57 counties: Baldwin County, Banks County, Barrow County, Burke County, Butts County, Carroll County, Cherokee County, Clarke County, Clayton County, Cobb County, Columbia County, Coweta County, Dawson County, DeKalb County, Douglas County, Elbert County, Fayette County, Forsyth County, Franklin County, Fulton County, Glascock County, Greene County, Gwinnett County, Hall County, Hancock County, Haralson County, Hart County, Heard County, Henry County, Jackson County, Jasper County, Jefferson County, Jones County, Lamar County, Lincoln County, Madison County, McDuffie County, Meriwether County, Monroe County, Morgan County, Newton County, Oconee County, Oglethorpe County, Paulding County, Pickens County, Pike County, Putnam County, Richmond County, Rockdale County, Spalding County, Taliaferro County, Troup County, Upson County, Walton County, Warren County, Washington County, Wilkes County
Gulf Coastal Plain
Extremely variable over short distances: deep sand on the ridges, saturated clay in the flats between them. High rainfall and a seasonally high water table make crawlspace and slab moisture the dominant complaint rather than structural movement.
26 counties: Baker County, Calhoun County, Chattahoochee County, Clay County, Crawford County, Decatur County, Dougherty County, Early County, Grady County, Harris County, Lee County, Macon County, Marion County, Miller County, Mitchell County, Muscogee County, Quitman County, Randolph County, Schley County, Seminole County, Stewart County, Sumter County, Talbot County, Taylor County, Terrell County, Webster County
Blue Ridge Mountains
Steep ground with deep weathering. Volume change is low, but slope stability is not: colluvium on a mountainside can creep, and debris flows during hurricane rainfall are a documented hazard. A house benched into a slope collects water behind its uphill wall.
16 counties: Catoosa County, Chattooga County, Dade County, Fannin County, Gilmer County, Gordon County, Habersham County, Lumpkin County, Murray County, Rabun County, Stephens County, Towns County, Union County, Walker County, White County, Whitfield County
Ridge and Valley
Limestone valleys mean karst: permeability is excellent until it is not. Sinkhole activity is an underrated cause of foundation failure here.
3 counties: Bartow County, Floyd County, Polk County
Page data updated