Callaway County, MO Shrink-Swell Risk

Callaway County, MO's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Callaway County, MO: USDA's soil survey rates 47.7% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (5.25% 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 Callaway County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Callaway County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide reading. A local geotechnical report, typically $1,000-$5,000 (around $2,700 typical), is the only way to know what one lot in Callaway County will actually do.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Callaway County, MO 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 Callaway County, MO compares

Nationally, Callaway County, MO is the 246-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Missouri alone it ranks 31 of 114. The county spans 835 square miles, home to 45,126 people.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Franklin County, MA and Mason County, IL 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 Missouri

Every county in Missouri is on this site, including Shelby County, MO and Pemiscot County, MO. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.