Big Horn County, MT Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Big Horn County, MT

Moderate

Soil across 38.3% of Big Horn County, MT comes back "Moderate" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 4.31% 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 this number does and doesn't tell you

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Big Horn County, MT - never a reading for one specific parcel. 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 Big Horn County.

Big Horn County: the real numbers

Big Horn 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.

How Big Horn County, MT compares

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Big Horn County, MT ranks 438 most-constrained nationally, and 8 of 54 within Montana. Big Horn County covers 4,998 square miles and counts 12,796 residents.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Pope County, AR and Le Flore County, OK 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 Montana

Every county in Montana is on this site, including Flathead County, MT and Dawson County, MT. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.