Harney County, OR Shrink-Swell Risk

What Harney County, OR's soil means for a foundation

Moderate

USDA's SSURGO data puts Harney County, OR's soil at "Moderate" shrink-swell potential, an area-weighted linear extensibility of 3.87% across 55.1% 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 Harney County, OR at once, not any single address. 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 Harney County.

Report cost vs. repair cost

With Harney County, OR 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.

Harney County's rank among Oregon counties

Nationally, Harney County, OR is the 643-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Oregon alone it ranks 2 of 36. Harney County, OR is 10,134 square miles with a population of 7,402.

Before you act on this

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Madison County, ID and Burnet 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 Oregon

Every county in Oregon is on this site, including Multnomah County, OR and Malheur County, OR. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.