Garfield County, MT Shrink-Swell Risk

Garfield County's SSURGO shrink-swell reading

Moderate

In Garfield County, MT, 45.8% of the surveyed soil carries a "Moderate" shrink-swell rating, 3.53% linear extensibility on average. That's a middle reading: not the sharp swings that crack a foundation outright, but enough that grading and drainage are worth getting right.

Before you rely on this for one address

Garfield County's reading is an average across the whole county, not a promise about any one lot inside it. The real answer for one lot is still a site-specific geotechnical report, running about $1,000-$5,000 (typically near $2,700).

Budgeting for Garfield County, MT

Garfield 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.

Garfield County's rank among Montana counties

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Garfield County, MT ranks 828 most-constrained nationally, and 25 of 54 within Montana. The county spans 4,677 square miles, home to 1,181 people.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Parker County, TX and Northampton 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

Elsewhere in Montana

Every county in Montana is on this site, including Glacier County, MT and Lewis and Clark County, MT. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.