Dodge County, NE Shrink-Swell Risk

What Dodge County, NE's soil means for a foundation

Moderate

USDA's SSURGO data puts Dodge County, NE's soil at "Moderate" shrink-swell potential, an area-weighted linear extensibility of 4.3% across 61.7% of the county's surveyed land. That's a middle reading: not the sharp swings that crack a foundation outright, but enough that grading and drainage are worth getting right.

This is a county figure, not a lot figure

USDA's survey covers the whole of Dodge County, NE at once, not any single address. The real answer for one lot is still a site-specific geotechnical report, running about $1,000-$5,000 (typically near $2,700).

Report cost vs. repair cost

With Dodge County, NE 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 Dodge County, NE compares

Nationally, Dodge County, NE is the 439-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Nebraska alone it ranks 22 of 93. Dodge County covers 529 square miles and counts 37,884 residents.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Glacier County, MT and Columbia County, PA 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 Nebraska

Every county in Nebraska is on this site, including Knox County, NE and Hitchcock County, NE. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.