Hettinger County, ND Shrink-Swell Risk

Hettinger County, ND's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Hettinger County, ND: USDA's soil survey rates 48.3% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (3.9% linear extensibility). Conventional foundations are the reasonable expectation here, with routine moisture-control practice rather than special engineering.

What Hettinger County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Hettinger County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide reading. 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 Hettinger County.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Hettinger County, ND 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.

Where this sits nationally

Nationally, Hettinger County, ND is the 630-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within North Dakota alone it ranks 4 of 53. Hettinger County, ND is 1,132 square miles with a population of 2,419.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Buckingham County, VA and Jefferson County, GA 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 North Dakota

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