Allamakee County, IA Shrink-Swell Risk

Allamakee County's SSURGO shrink-swell reading

Moderate

In Allamakee County, IA, 71.5% of the surveyed soil carries a "Moderate" shrink-swell rating, 3.16% linear extensibility on average. A real but modest amount of movement - standard foundations usually hold up, but drainage and moisture control around the foundation still matter more than on low-risk soil.

Before you rely on this for one address

Allamakee County's reading is an average across the whole county, not a promise about any one lot inside it. The real answer for one lot is still a site-specific geotechnical report, running about $1,000-$5,000 (typically near $2,700).

Budgeting for Allamakee County, IA

Allamakee County's soil reading points toward standard foundation practice as the likely outcome, not the exception. 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

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Allamakee County, IA ranks 1,078 most-constrained nationally, and 76 of 99 within Iowa. Allamakee County covers 639 square miles and counts 14,184 residents.

Before you act on this

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Johnson County, KY and Smith County, KS 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

Elsewhere in Iowa

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