Cherokee County, IA Shrink-Swell Risk

Cherokee County, IA's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Cherokee County, IA: USDA's soil survey rates 93.5% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (4.19% linear extensibility). Conventional foundations are the reasonable expectation here, with routine moisture-control practice rather than special engineering.

What Cherokee County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Cherokee 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 Cherokee County will actually do.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Cherokee County, IA 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.

Cherokee County's rank among Iowa counties

Nationally, Cherokee County, IA is the 479-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Iowa alone it ranks 36 of 99. Cherokee County, IA is 577 square miles with a population of 11,658.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Carroll County, MS and Guilford County, NC 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 Iowa

Every county in Iowa is on this site, including Plymouth County, IA and Chickasaw County, IA. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.