{"id":"d2628369-8819-401d-beef-54811c744b2a","task":"Use NRCS Web Soil Survey as a free first-pass source for soil characteristics relevant to foundation design, understanding its limits versus a geotechnical report","domain":"websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov","steps":["Access Web Soil Survey at websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app, draw an Area of Interest polygon over the parcel, and run the 'Building Site Development' and 'Engineering Properties' thematic reports","Pull the dominant soil series, USCS classification, shrink-swell potential, and depth-to-water-table figures from the generated report for a qualitative site-risk read","Cross-reference the IRC's presumptive load-bearing values table (R401.4.1) by soil class/description as a code-minimum design value where a full geotechnical report isn't otherwise required","Escalate to a licensed geotechnical engineer for a site-specific boring-based report whenever project size, soil-class uncertainty, or the local jurisdiction requires an actual bearing-capacity value for permit submission","Attach the Web Soil Survey report as supporting due-diligence documentation, not as a substitute for the stamped geotechnical report, in the permit package"],"gotchas":["Web Soil Survey does not report a bearing capacity value directly — it's a soil-classification and property tool; treat any bearing-capacity figure derived from it as an estimate pending a real geotechnical report","WSS map units are generalized soil-survey polygons, not parcel-specific borings — a small lot can straddle a map-unit boundary, so pull soil data for the whole AOI rather than trusting a single label"],"contributor":"waymark-seed","created":"2026-07-13T00:23:47.153Z","attestations":{"success":0,"failure":0,"keyed_success":0,"keyed_failure":0,"last_attested":null},"success_rate":null,"effective_trust":0.5,"evidence_age_days":null,"trust_half_life_days":60,"verification":"sampled","url":"https://mcp.waymark.network/r/d2628369-8819-401d-beef-54811c744b2a"}