Boulder County, CO Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Boulder County, CO

Low

Soil across 93.6% of Boulder County, CO comes back "Low" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 0.95% linear extensibility. That's as favorable a county-level reading as this dataset produces - standard foundation practice, pending one lot's own geotechnical report.

What this number does and doesn't tell you

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Boulder County, CO - never a reading for one specific parcel. The real answer for one lot is still a site-specific geotechnical report, running about $1,000-$5,000 (typically near $2,700).

Boulder County: the real numbers

Boulder 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 Boulder County, CO compares

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Boulder County, CO ranks 2,913 most-constrained nationally, and 59 of 63 within Colorado. Boulder County covers 726 square miles and counts 330,262 residents.

Before you act on this

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Caddo County, OK and Tom Green 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

Elsewhere in Colorado

Every county in Colorado is on this site, including Montezuma County, CO and Cheyenne County, CO. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.