Fannin County, Georgia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Fannin County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 4%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 33 flood losses here since 2016, 4% of them in buildings with basements. 26% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1996.
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 Fannin County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 4.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 81.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 249,800 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Evard | 23% | 0% |
| Cowee | 18% | n/a |
| Clifton | 9% | n/a |
| Saunook | 7% | n/a |
| Junaluska | 4% | n/a |
| Chestnut | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas GA637 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 51.77 in, 10.67 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 62.44 in.
USDA rates 82% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 4% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Fannin County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 44 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 31 weeks, most recently on the July 21, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
33 flood losses since 2016, $344,315 paid. The worst year was 2021, with 12. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 4% basements, 14% slabs, 43% crawl spaces, 39% elevated.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 8 |
| 2021 | 12 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 5 |
| 2026 to date | 5 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 62.44 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 51.77 in (-10.67) |
| 2025 | 57.41 in (-5.03) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2013: 88.17 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2007: 37.97 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BLAIRSVILLE EXP STN (21 mi away) | 18.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 18,490 |
| Median year built | 1996 |
| Built before 1980 | 26% |
| Built 2000 or later | 43% |
| Owner-occupied | 79% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $306,600 |
| Single-family detached | 83% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gilmer County, GA | 15 mi | 0% | 6% |
| Union County, GA | 19 mi | 0% | 6% |
| Polk County, TN | 21 mi | 0% | 4% |
| Cherokee County, NC | 24 mi | 0% | 5% |
| Murray County, GA | 24 mi | 4% | 18% |
| Lumpkin County, GA | 27 mi | 0% | 7% |
| Pickens County, GA | 30 mi | 0% | 7% |
| Dawson County, GA | 30 mi | 0% | 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