Hardin County, IA Shrink-Swell Risk

What Hardin County, IA's soil means for a foundation

Moderate

USDA's SSURGO data puts Hardin County, IA's soil at "Moderate" shrink-swell potential, an area-weighted linear extensibility of 3.06% across 50.2% of the county's surveyed land. 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.

This is a county figure, not a lot figure

USDA's survey covers the whole of Hardin County, IA at once, not any single address. A local geotechnical report, typically $1,000-$5,000 (around $2,700 typical), is the only way to know what one lot in Hardin County will actually do.

Report cost vs. repair cost

With Hardin County, IA 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.

Hardin County's rank among Iowa counties

Nationally, Hardin County, IA is the 1,151-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Iowa alone it ranks 84 of 99. The county spans 569 square miles, home to 16,464 people.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Clinton County, NY and Peoria County, IL 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 Harrison County, IA and Montgomery County, IA. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.