BasementSoil

Tennessee: basement moisture and foundation risk by county

95 counties, ranked by our combined index. Highest combined risk is Obion County (51), lowest is Blount County (24). The worst soil for foundation cracks specifically is in McMinn County.

Where in Tennessee the ground is worse

Every county in the state, coloured by the soil values below. Click a county to open its report; switch what the colour means with the buttons. The pattern is geology, not administration — risk stops at the edge of a physiographic region, not at a county line.

Anderson County, TN — combined 25/100, moisture 30, movement 25, water table 16Bedford County, TN — combined 36/100, moisture 32, movement 35, water table 46Benton County, TN — combined 42/100, moisture 42, movement 39, water table 46Bledsoe County, TN — combined 43/100, moisture 34, movement 52, water table 46Blount County, TN — combined 24/100, moisture 32, movement 20, water table 16Bradley County, TN — combined 36/100, moisture 38, movement 46, water table 16Campbell County, TN — combined 28/100, moisture 33, movement 20, water table 30Cannon County, TN — combined 35/100, moisture 36, movement 38, water table 30Carroll County, TN — combined 45/100, moisture 42, movement 34, water table 66Carter County, TN — combined 33/100, moisture 32, movement 25, water table 46Cheatham County, TN — combined 31/100, moisture 32, movement 31, water table 30Chester County, TN — combined 48/100, moisture 43, movement 32, water table 82Claiborne County, TN — combined 32/100, moisture 33, movement 31, water table 30Clay County, TN — combined 32/100, moisture 36, movement 29, water table 30Cocke County, TN — combined 29/100, moisture 33, movement 23, water table 30Coffee County, TN — combined 39/100, moisture 35, movement 39, water table 46Crockett County, TN — combined 44/100, moisture 40, movement 34, water table 66Cumberland County, TN — combined 33/100, moisture 35, movement 32, water table 30Davidson County, TN — combined 29/100, moisture 36, movement 28, water table 16DeKalb County, TN — combined 33/100, moisture 36, movement 30, water table 30Decatur County, TN — combined 42/100, moisture 41, movement 27, water table 66Dickson County, TN — combined 39/100, moisture 32, movement 43, water table 46Dyer County, TN — combined 30/100, moisture 36, movement 32, water table 16Fayette County, TN — combined 31/100, moisture 36, movement 24, water table 30Fentress County, TN — combined 30/100, moisture 35, movement 33, water table 16Franklin County, TN — combined 39/100, moisture 38, movement 48, water table 30Gibson County, TN — combined 39/100, moisture 40, movement 43, water table 30Giles County, TN — combined 35/100, moisture 35, movement 26, water table 46Grainger County, TN — combined 37/100, moisture 31, movement 40, water table 46Greene County, TN — combined 31/100, moisture 32, movement 30, water table 30Grundy County, TN — combined 35/100, moisture 34, movement 39, water table 30Hamblen County, TN — combined 27/100, moisture 30, movement 22, water table 30Hamilton County, TN — combined 35/100, moisture 36, movement 37, water table 30Hancock County, TN — combined 27/100, moisture 30, movement 31, water table 16Hardeman County, TN — combined 48/100, moisture 40, movement 34, water table 82Hardin County, TN — combined 42/100, moisture 40, movement 43, water table 46Hawkins County, TN — combined 29/100, moisture 34, movement 20, water table 30Haywood County, TN — combined 29/100, moisture 37, movement 27, water table 16Henderson County, TN — combined 37/100, moisture 42, movement 25, water table 46Henry County, TN — combined 46/100, moisture 44, movement 33, water table 66Hickman County, TN — combined 31/100, moisture 34, movement 28, water table 30Houston County, TN — combined 41/100, moisture 34, movement 48, water table 46Humphreys County, TN — combined 38/100, moisture 34, movement 50, water table 30Jackson County, TN — combined 36/100, moisture 35, movement 30, water table 46Jefferson County, TN — combined 34/100, moisture 32, movement 28, water table 46Johnson County, TN — combined 33/100, moisture 30, movement 28, water table 46Knox County, TN — combined 30/100, moisture 30, movement 20, water table 46Lake County, TN — combined 32/100, moisture 35, movement 30, water table 30Lauderdale County, TN — combined 36/100, moisture 36, movement 40, water table 30Lawrence County, TN — combined 38/100, moisture 33, movement 39, water table 46Lewis County, TN — combined 33/100, moisture 31, movement 48, water table 16Lincoln County, TN — combined 30/100, moisture 33, movement 25, water table 30Loudon County, TN — combined 42/100, moisture 36, movement 48, water table 46Macon County, TN — combined 39/100, moisture 38, movement 48, water table 30Madison County, TN — combined 41/100, moisture 43, movement 21, water table 66Marion County, TN — combined 42/100, moisture 38, movement 44, water table 46Marshall County, TN — combined 37/100, moisture 32, movement 38, water table 46Maury County, TN — combined 38/100, moisture 32, movement 52, water table 30McMinn County, TN — combined 41/100, moisture 35, movement 57, water table 30McNairy County, TN — combined 44/100, moisture 44, movement 44, water table 46Meigs County, TN — combined 42/100, moisture 36, movement 49, water table 46Monroe County, TN — combined 41/100, moisture 34, movement 46, water table 46Montgomery County, TN — combined 38/100, moisture 32, movement 42, water table 46Moore County, TN — combined 42/100, moisture 36, movement 46, water table 46Morgan County, TN — combined 39/100, moisture 36, movement 50, water table 30Obion County, TN — combined 51/100, moisture 43, movement 39, water table 82Overton County, TN — combined 38/100, moisture 35, movement 48, water table 30Perry County, TN — combined 38/100, moisture 33, movement 38, water table 46Pickett County, TN — combined 41/100, moisture 36, movement 55, water table 30Polk County, TN — combined 33/100, moisture 37, movement 41, water table 16Putnam County, TN — combined 37/100, moisture 35, movement 33, water table 46Rhea County, TN — combined 39/100, moisture 37, movement 48, water table 30Roane County, TN — combined 35/100, moisture 34, movement 40, water table 30Robertson County, TN — combined 42/100, moisture 35, movement 48, water table 46Rutherford County, TN — combined 39/100, moisture 34, movement 52, water table 30Scott County, TN — combined 32/100, moisture 34, movement 32, water table 30Sequatchie County, TN — combined 40/100, moisture 36, movement 52, water table 30Sevier County, TN — combined 33/100, moisture 32, movement 26, water table 46Shelby County, TN — combined 30/100, moisture 33, movement 27, water table 30Smith County, TN — combined 45/100, moisture 38, movement 53, water table 46Stewart County, TN — combined 36/100, moisture 33, movement 34, water table 46Sullivan County, TN — combined 32/100, moisture 33, movement 33, water table 30Sumner County, TN — combined 31/100, moisture 35, movement 27, water table 30Tipton County, TN — combined 29/100, moisture 34, movement 21, water table 30Trousdale County, TN — combined 37/100, moisture 37, movement 31, water table 46Unicoi County, TN — combined 29/100, moisture 29, movement 16, water table 46Union County, TN — combined 28/100, moisture 30, movement 35, water table 16Van Buren County, TN — combined 36/100, moisture 34, movement 31, water table 46Warren County, TN — combined 35/100, moisture 35, movement 28, water table 46Washington County, TN — combined 28/100, moisture 31, movement 22, water table 30Wayne County, TN — combined 28/100, moisture 32, movement 30, water table 16Weakley County, TN — combined 49/100, moisture 42, movement 48, water table 66White County, TN — combined 36/100, moisture 36, movement 28, water table 46Williamson County, TN — combined 35/100, moisture 32, movement 43, water table 30Wilson County, TN — combined 44/100, moisture 38, movement 50, water table 46
  • Low (0–27)
  • Moderate (28–49)
  • Elevated (50–74)
  • High (75–100)

County boundaries: US Census TIGER (public domain), simplified for display. Colours are our index from USDA SSURGO fields where loaded, otherwise from our regional model — each county page states which. How the index is calculated.

CountyIndexMoistureCracksWater tableRegion
Obion County51433982Gulf Coastal Plain
Weakley County49424866Gulf Coastal Plain
Chester County48433282Gulf Coastal Plain
Hardeman County48403482Gulf Coastal Plain
Henry County46443366Gulf Coastal Plain
Carroll County45423466Gulf Coastal Plain
Smith County45385346Appalachian Plateau
Crockett County44403466Gulf Coastal Plain
McNairy County44444446Gulf Coastal Plain
Wilson County44385046Appalachian Plateau
Bledsoe County43345246Ridge and Valley
Benton County42423946Gulf Coastal Plain
Decatur County42412766Gulf Coastal Plain
Hardin County42404346Gulf Coastal Plain
Loudon County42364846Ridge and Valley
Marion County42384446Appalachian Plateau
Meigs County42364946Ridge and Valley
Moore County42364646Appalachian Plateau
Robertson County42354846Interior Low Plateau karst
Houston County41344846Interior Low Plateau karst
Madison County41432166Gulf Coastal Plain
McMinn County41355730Ridge and Valley
Monroe County41344646Ridge and Valley
Pickett County41365530Ridge and Valley
Sequatchie County40365230Ridge and Valley
Coffee County39353946Appalachian Plateau
Dickson County39324346Interior Low Plateau karst
Franklin County39384830Appalachian Plateau
Gibson County39404330Gulf Coastal Plain
Macon County39384830Appalachian Plateau
Morgan County39365030Ridge and Valley
Rhea County39374830Ridge and Valley
Rutherford County39345230Interior Low Plateau karst
Humphreys County38345030Interior Low Plateau karst
Lawrence County38333946Interior Low Plateau karst
Maury County38325230Interior Low Plateau karst
Montgomery County38324246Interior Low Plateau karst
Overton County38354830Ridge and Valley
Perry County38333846Interior Low Plateau karst
Grainger County37314046Blue Ridge Mountains
Henderson County37422546Gulf Coastal Plain
Marshall County37323846Interior Low Plateau karst
Putnam County37353346Appalachian Plateau
Trousdale County37373146Appalachian Plateau
Bedford County36323546Interior Low Plateau karst
Bradley County36384616Ridge and Valley
Jackson County36353046Appalachian Plateau
Lauderdale County36364030Loess hills
Stewart County36333446Interior Low Plateau karst
Van Buren County36343146Appalachian Plateau
White County36362846Appalachian Plateau
Cannon County35363830Appalachian Plateau
Giles County35352646Interior Low Plateau karst
Grundy County35343930Appalachian Plateau
Hamilton County35363730Ridge and Valley
Roane County35344030Ridge and Valley
Warren County35352846Appalachian Plateau
Williamson County35324330Interior Low Plateau karst
Jefferson County34322846Blue Ridge Mountains
Carter County33322546Blue Ridge Mountains
Cumberland County33353230Ridge and Valley
DeKalb County33363030Appalachian Plateau
Johnson County33302846Blue Ridge Mountains
Lewis County33314816Interior Low Plateau karst
Polk County33374116Ridge and Valley
Sevier County33322646Blue Ridge Mountains
Claiborne County32333130Blue Ridge Mountains
Clay County32362930Appalachian Plateau
Lake County32353030Loess hills
Scott County32343230Ridge and Valley
Sullivan County32333330Blue Ridge Mountains
Cheatham County31323130Interior Low Plateau karst
Fayette County31362430Loess hills
Greene County31323030Blue Ridge Mountains
Hickman County31342830Interior Low Plateau karst
Sumner County31352730Interior Low Plateau karst
Dyer County30363216Loess hills
Fentress County30353316Ridge and Valley
Knox County30302046Blue Ridge Mountains
Lincoln County30332530Interior Low Plateau karst
Shelby County30332730Loess hills
Cocke County29332330Blue Ridge Mountains
Davidson County29362816Interior Low Plateau karst
Hawkins County29342030Blue Ridge Mountains
Haywood County29372716Loess hills
Tipton County29342130Loess hills
Unicoi County29291646Blue Ridge Mountains
Campbell County28332030Blue Ridge Mountains
Union County28303516Blue Ridge Mountains
Washington County28312230Blue Ridge Mountains
Wayne County28323016Interior Low Plateau karst
Hamblen County27302230Blue Ridge Mountains
Hancock County27303116Blue Ridge Mountains
Anderson County25302516Blue Ridge Mountains
Blount County24322016Blue Ridge Mountains

Values from USDA NRCS SSURGO where available, otherwise our regional model — each county page states which. Methodology.

The physiographic regions inside Tennessee

State lines are political; soil follows geology. These are the distinct ground types inside Tennessee and why each behaves the way it does.

Interior Low Plateau karst

Cave country. Infiltration is excellent until it changes: sinkhole activity and collapse are an underrated cause of foundation damage here, and no amount of waterproofing addresses them.

21 counties: Bedford County, Cheatham County, Davidson County, Dickson County, Giles County, Hickman County, Houston County, Humphreys County, Lawrence County, Lewis County, Lincoln County, Marshall County, Maury County, Montgomery County, Perry County, Robertson County, Rutherford County, Stewart County, Sumner County, Wayne County, Williamson 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.

19 counties: Anderson County, Blount County, Campbell County, Carter County, Claiborne County, Cocke County, Grainger County, Greene County, Hamblen County, Hancock County, Hawkins County, Jefferson County, Johnson County, Knox County, Sevier County, Sullivan County, Unicoi County, Union County, Washington 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.

17 counties: Bledsoe County, Bradley County, Cumberland County, Fentress County, Hamilton County, Loudon County, McMinn County, Meigs County, Monroe County, Morgan County, Overton County, Pickett County, Polk County, Rhea County, Roane County, Scott County, Sequatchie County

Appalachian Plateau

Water travels over bedrock under a thin skin of colluvium. A house cut into a hillside has an entire catchment behind its uphill wall — what decides the outcome here is a daylight drain, not a coating.

17 counties: Cannon County, Clay County, Coffee County, DeKalb County, Franklin County, Grundy County, Jackson County, Macon County, Marion County, Moore County, Putnam County, Smith County, Trousdale County, Van Buren County, Warren County, White County, Wilson 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.

14 counties: Benton County, Carroll County, Chester County, Crockett County, Decatur County, Gibson County, Hardeman County, Hardin County, Henderson County, Henry County, Madison County, McNairy County, Obion County, Weakley County

Loess hills

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.

7 counties: Dyer County, Fayette County, Haywood County, Lake County, Lauderdale County, Shelby County, Tipton County

Page data updated