Cottonwood County, MN Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Cottonwood County, MN

Moderate

Soil across 58.2% of Cottonwood County, MN comes back "Moderate" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 3.32% 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 this number does and doesn't tell you

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Cottonwood County, MN - 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).

Cottonwood County: the real numbers

Cottonwood 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.

Cottonwood County's rank among Minnesota counties

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Cottonwood County, MN ranks 964 most-constrained nationally, and 24 of 87 within Minnesota. Cottonwood County covers 640 square miles and counts 11,338 residents.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Greene County, NC and Winneshiek County, IA 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 Minnesota

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