Foster County, ND Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Foster County, ND

Low

Soil across 91.1% of Foster County, ND comes back "Low" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 2.1% linear extensibility. That's the easiest starting point on this site's scale - a standard foundation is the reasonable default here, though any one lot can still differ.

What this number does and doesn't tell you

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

Foster County: the real numbers

Foster 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.

How Foster County, ND compares

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Foster County, ND ranks 1,896 most-constrained nationally, and 51 of 53 within North Dakota. Foster County covers 634 square miles and counts 3,323 residents.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Watauga County, NC and Knox 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

Elsewhere in North Dakota

Every county in North Dakota is on this site, including McHenry County, ND and Golden Valley County, ND. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.