Memphis, Tennessee: what the ground under the city is like
Memphis sits in Shelby County, on loess hills. The soil mapped here is predominantly classified well drained — and that classification, not the rainfall total, is what decides how a basement behaves.
16% of the mapped soil area around Memphis is wet enough that the USDA describes it as needing artificial drainage.
Linear extensibility 3.3% — moderate.
Shallowest annual water table around 160 cm (5.2 ft).
Values are for Shelby County, which is what the soil survey resolves to. Full county report · soil map for a specific address.
The ground under Memphis
Loess hills. Deep wind-blown loess, locally tens of metres thick
Loess is permeable and the water table is deep, but it is prone to erosion and to collapse under load when wetted — a different failure mode from expansive clay. A broken downspout can undermine a loess footing.
When it shows up here
| Water | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground movement | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
Water peaks in April and May with the spring rains. The dry late summer is when soil movement shows up instead, so the two problems take turns.
Climate pattern for this physiographic region, not a forecast for your house and not from the soil survey. It answers a question homeowners actually ask: when does this show up.
What repairs cost in Tennessee
| Reference job | Modelled range |
|---|---|
| Interior drain along two walls + sump pump | $4,600–$9,850 |
| Exterior excavation of one 40 ft wall | $3,450–$9,850 |
| Underpinning on 10 piers | $13,650–$29,100 |
Regional factor for TN: ×0.91. Full cost breakdown for Tennessee · run your own dimensions.
ZIP codes in Memphis
37501, 37544, 38101, 38103, 38104, 38105, 38106, 38107, 38108, 38109, 38111, 38112, 38113, 38114, 38115, 38116, 38117, 38118, 38119, 38120, 38122, 38124, 38125, 38126, 38127, 38128, 38130, 38131, 38132, 38133, 38134, 38135, 38136, 38137, 38141, 38145, 38148, 38150, 38151, 38152…
Soil does not stop at a city boundary, and neither does this data — every ZIP code above resolves to the same county soil survey. For the individual survey polygons around one address, use the soil map.
Other places in Shelby County
Questions about Memphis
Is the soil the same everywhere in Memphis?
No. These values describe Shelby County as a whole, which is the unit the soil survey publishes. Within a city, map units change over a few hundred metres — the soil map draws the actual polygons around a point and is the honest answer for one address.
Which contractor should I call in Memphis?
We do not rank or recommend individual firms and we are not one. What this page is for is knowing which kind of work the ground here points to before anyone quotes you, and which claim to check. If you want quotes, the form below passes your request to the named networks.
Does this replace an inspection?
No. It tells you what the ground is; an inspection tells you what your building is doing on it. The useful order is: read this, print the brief for your county, then have someone look.
Get quotes in Memphis
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