Catoosa County, Georgia
A shallow water table limits basements on 22% of Catoosa County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 18%.
3.8% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 60.5% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 79 flood losses here since 2016, 3% of them in buildings with basements. 34% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1993.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Catoosa County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 17.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 22.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 76.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 16.0% |
| Mapped soil | 103,900 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Minvale | 14% | n/a |
| Lyerly | 13% | n/a |
| Townley | 8% | n/a |
| Shack | 7% | n/a |
| Chenneby | 6% | n/a |
| Tidings | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas GA047 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.1% by land area here, and 16% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 18% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 3.8% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 18% of Catoosa County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 22% of Catoosa County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 40.06 in, 13.17 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 53.23 in.
USDA rates 77% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
3.8% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 37 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 32 weeks, most recently on the September 29, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 3.8% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
79 flood losses since 2016, $1.9 million paid. The worst year was 2025, with 30. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 3% basements, 19% slabs, 69% crawl spaces, 8% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 12 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 9 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 27 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 30 |
| 2026 to date | 5 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 53.23 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 40.06 in (-13.17) |
| 2025 | 53.64 in (+0.41) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1973: 73.49 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2007: 33.36 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CHATTANOOGA LOVELL AP (10 mi away) | 16.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 28,567 |
| Median year built | 1993 |
| Built before 1980 | 34% |
| Built 2000 or later | 35% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $240,900 |
| Single-family detached | 73% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitfield County, GA | 12 mi | 6% | 33% |
| Walker County, GA | 15 mi | 7% | 21% |
| Hamilton County, TN | 18 mi | 8% | 13% |
| Dade County, GA | 21 mi | 6% | 7% |
| Bradley County, TN | 24 mi | under 1% | 14% |
| Murray County, GA | 24 mi | 4% | 18% |
| Gordon County, GA | 31 mi | 6% | 23% |
| Marion County, TN | 32 mi | under 1% | 7% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 27, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status