Fayette County, IA Shrink-Swell Risk

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

Low

Fayette County, IA: USDA's soil survey rates 52.4% of the county "Low" for shrink-swell potential (2.89% linear extensibility). That's as favorable a county-level reading as this dataset produces - standard foundation practice, pending one lot's own geotechnical report.

What Fayette County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Fayette County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide reading. A site-specific soil report, usually $1,000-$5,000, is what an engineer would actually pull before designing a foundation on a lot in Fayette County.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Fayette County, IA rating "Low", 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.

Where this sits nationally

Nationally, Fayette County, IA is the 1,270-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Iowa alone it ranks 90 of 99. Fayette County, IA is 731 square miles with a population of 19,152.

Before you act on this

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Otter Tail County, MN and Sweet Grass County, MT 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 Audubon County, IA and Delaware County, IA. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.