Billings County, ND Shrink-Swell Risk

Billings County, ND's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Billings County, ND: USDA's soil survey rates 65.4% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (3.11% 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 Billings County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Billings 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 Billings County.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Billings County, ND 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.

Billings County's rank among North Dakota counties

Nationally, Billings County, ND is the 1,114-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within North Dakota alone it ranks 27 of 53. The county spans 1,148 square miles, home to 1,063 people.

Before you act on this

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Goshen County, WY and Kleberg County, TX 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 North Dakota

Every county in North Dakota is on this site, including Sargent County, ND and Cass County, ND. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.