Dickinson County, KS Shrink-Swell Risk

Dickinson County, KS's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Dickinson County, KS: USDA's soil survey rates 63.7% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (5.81% 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 Dickinson County's reading doesn't cover

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

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Dickinson County, KS 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.

Dickinson County's rank among Kansas counties

Nationally, Dickinson County, KS is the 155-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Kansas alone it ranks 21 of 105. Dickinson County covers 847 square miles and counts 18,621 residents.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Anderson County, KS and Spalding County, GA 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 Kansas

Every county in Kansas is on this site, including Hamilton County, KS and Reno County, KS. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.