Baker County, OR Shrink-Swell Risk

Baker County, OR's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Baker County, OR: USDA's soil survey rates 55.2% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (3.67% linear extensibility). That's a middle reading: not the sharp swings that crack a foundation outright, but enough that grading and drainage are worth getting right.

What Baker County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Baker County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide reading. A site-specific soil report, usually $1,000-$5,000, is what an engineer would actually pull before designing a foundation on a lot in Baker County.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Baker County, OR 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.

How Baker County, OR compares

Nationally, Baker County, OR is the 746-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Oregon alone it ranks 4 of 36. The county spans 3,068 square miles, home to 16,750 people.

Before you act on this

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Sioux County, IA and Northumberland County, PA 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 Oregon

Every county in Oregon is on this site, including Malheur County, OR and Sherman County, OR. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.