Adams County, IA Shrink-Swell Risk

What Adams County, IA's soil means for a foundation

Moderate

USDA's SSURGO data puts Adams County, IA's soil at "Moderate" shrink-swell potential, an area-weighted linear extensibility of 5.7% across 80% of the county's surveyed land. That's a middle reading: not the sharp swings that crack a foundation outright, but enough that grading and drainage are worth getting right.

This is a county figure, not a lot figure

USDA's survey covers the whole of Adams County, IA at once, not any single address. The real answer for one lot is still a site-specific geotechnical report, running about $1,000-$5,000 (typically near $2,700).

Report cost vs. repair cost

With Adams County, IA rating "Moderate", a geotechnical report is still worthwhile before a build, just less urgent than in a high-risk county. A geotechnical report runs $1,000-$5,000, typically around $2,700. Foundation repair, if a specific lot turns out to differ from the county average, runs $5,000-$15,000.

Where this sits nationally

Nationally, Adams County, IA is the 185-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Iowa alone it ranks 3 of 99. The county spans 423 square miles, home to 3,606 people.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Valencia County, NM and Grand County, CO are worth a look for comparison.

How this reading is built, and its real limits · Moisture management: the cheap fix that works on any soil

More of Iowa

Every county in Iowa is on this site, including Keokuk County, IA and Wayne County, IA. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.