Virginia Beach, Virginia: what the ground under the city is like
Virginia Beach sits in Virginia Beach City, on southern atlantic coastal plain. The soil mapped here is predominantly classified well drained — and that classification, not the rainfall total, is what decides how a basement behaves.
33% of the mapped soil area around Virginia Beach is wet enough that the USDA describes it as needing artificial drainage.
Linear extensibility 5.9% — moderate.
Shallowest annual water table around 125 cm (4.1 ft).
Values are for Virginia Beach City, which is what the soil survey resolves to. Full county report · soil map for a specific address.
The ground under Virginia Beach
Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain. Marine sands and clays, very low relief, high water table
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.
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 from August to October with the tropical season, when a single storm can deliver a season’s rain in two days. The spring dry spell is when clay movement shows up.
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 Virginia
| Reference job | Modelled range |
|---|---|
| Interior drain along two walls + sump pump | $5,050–$10,850 |
| Exterior excavation of one 40 ft wall | $3,800–$10,800 |
| Underpinning on 10 piers | $15,000–$32,000 |
Regional factor for VA: ×1.00. Full cost breakdown for Virginia · run your own dimensions.
ZIP codes in Virginia Beach
23450, 23451, 23452, 23453, 23454, 23455, 23456, 23457, 23458, 23459, 23460, 23461, 23462, 23463, 23464, 23465, 23466, 23467, 23471, 23479
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.
Questions about Virginia Beach
Is the soil the same everywhere in Virginia Beach?
No. These values describe Virginia Beach City 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 Virginia Beach?
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 Virginia Beach
We pass what you enter to the contractor networks listed below. You choose whether to hire anyone.
Page data updated