Blue Earth County, MN Shrink-Swell Risk

Blue Earth County, MN's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Blue Earth County, MN: USDA's soil survey rates 36.5% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (5.11% linear extensibility). 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.

What Blue Earth County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Blue Earth 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 Blue Earth County.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Blue Earth County, MN 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 Blue Earth County, MN compares

Nationally, Blue Earth County, MN is the 274-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Minnesota alone it ranks 2 of 87. The county spans 748 square miles, home to 70,700 people.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Butler County, IA and Coleman 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 Minnesota

Every county in Minnesota is on this site, including Douglas County, MN and Wabasha County, MN. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.