Howard County, MO Shrink-Swell Risk

Howard County's SSURGO shrink-swell reading

Moderate

In Howard County, MO, 58.7% of the surveyed soil carries a "Moderate" shrink-swell rating, 4.04% linear extensibility on average. 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.

Before you rely on this for one address

Howard County's reading is an average across the whole county, not a promise about any one lot inside it. A local geotechnical report, typically $1,000-$5,000 (around $2,700 typical), is the only way to know what one lot in Howard County will actually do.

Budgeting for Howard County, MO

Howard 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.

Howard County's rank among Missouri counties

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Howard County, MO ranks 544 most-constrained nationally, and 56 of 114 within Missouri. Howard County, MO is 464 square miles with a population of 10,150.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Summit County, UT and Garrett County, MD 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 Missouri

Every county in Missouri is on this site, including Reynolds County, MO and Pulaski County, MO. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.