Hand County, SD Shrink-Swell Risk

Hand County, SD's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Hand County, SD: USDA's soil survey rates 80.9% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (4.18% linear extensibility). A real but modest amount of movement - standard foundations usually hold up, but drainage and moisture control around the foundation still matter more than on low-risk soil.

What Hand County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Hand County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide reading. A local geotechnical report, typically $1,000-$5,000 (around $2,700 typical), is the only way to know what one lot in Hand County will actually do.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Hand County, SD 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.

Hand County's rank among South Dakota counties

Nationally, Hand County, SD is the 487-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within South Dakota alone it ranks 30 of 66. The county spans 1,437 square miles, home to 3,097 people.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Limestone County, TX and Lipscomb County, TX 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 South Dakota

Every county in South Dakota is on this site, including Gregory County, SD and Campbell County, SD. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.