Virginia / Charles City County
Score 52 · elevated · #3 of 95 in VA
Crawl space moisture in Charles City County, VA
65% of Charles City County's soil falls in hydrologic group D or a dual D group: clays and high water tables that shed water slowly. Where a seasonal water table is reported — 82% of acres — it averages 1.7 ft below grade, shallow enough to reach a typical crawl-space footing.
- 1Water table 1.7 ft
- 2Wet soils 34%
- 3Moisture score 52
- 4EPA radon zone 3
Reading the Charles City County soil survey
The score of 52 combines four parts, each from the USDA survey: wet drainage classes contribute 47.2 points of 100 on their own scale, group D soils 65.3, a shallow water table 60.5, and flooding 14.3; the weights are on the methodology page. The dominant hydrologic group is D (46% of acres): very slow infiltration, high runoff (clays, high water table).
A water table under two feet is the single most important number here. A crawl-space floor is usually 18 to 36 inches below the joists and often below outside grade, so in a wet season groundwater can stand at or above the crawl-space floor across much of Charles City County. Venting cannot fix that; it needs drainage — a perimeter drain to daylight or a sump — before any liner goes down.
Charles City County against the rest of Virginia
Charles City County ranks 3 of 95 Virginia counties, 40 points above the state median of 12. Only 2 other counties in the state score higher. Statewide, 11% of mapped soil is in the wet drainage classes; here it is 34%, half again the state figure or more. After moderately well drained, the next most common class is poorly drained at 20%.
Flooding. 8.4% of acres with a flooding class are rated frequent. Flood-prone soils are a minority here, concentrated along streams; the score mostly reflects what happens between floods.
What it means for a crawl space here
In an elevated county the soil supplies more moisture than average, but a vented crawl space can work if the ground is covered: the code lets vent area drop from 1 sq ft per 150 to 1 per 1500 with a Class I vapor retarder on the ground, which is an admission of how much moisture comes from below. Grading, gutters and a ground cover usually decide whether a crawl space here stays dry before any decision about sealing it.
Radon. EPA radon zone 3. The zone is a county-level prediction; EPA says elevated levels occur in every zone and every home should be tested.
Near Charles City County by score
Sources: USDA NRCS SSURGO via Soil Data Access (muaggatt: drclassdcd, hydgrpdcd, flodfreqdcd, pondfreqprs, wtdepannmin), acreage-weighted (survey area VA036; drainage covers 88% of 130,800 mapped acres); EPA Map of Radon Zones, county table (June 2024 JSON); IRC R408.3 Unvented crawl space, as adopted in S.C. Code Regs. 8-1221 (LII). Checked 2026-10-23.