Effingham County, IL Shrink-Swell Risk

Effingham County, IL's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Effingham County, IL: USDA's soil survey rates 68.5% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (3.39% 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 Effingham County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Effingham County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide reading. The real answer for one lot is still a site-specific geotechnical report, running about $1,000-$5,000 (typically near $2,700).

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Effingham County, IL 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.

Effingham County's rank among Illinois counties

Nationally, Effingham County, IL is the 912-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Illinois alone it ranks 74 of 101. The county spans 479 square miles, home to 34,602 people.

Before you act on this

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Fremont County, WY and Smith County, TN 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 Illinois

Every county in Illinois is on this site, including Boone County, IL and Kendall County, IL. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.