Hutchinson County, SD Shrink-Swell Risk

What Hutchinson County, SD's soil means for a foundation

Moderate

USDA's SSURGO data puts Hutchinson County, SD's soil at "Moderate" shrink-swell potential, an area-weighted linear extensibility of 3.48% across 63.7% of the county's surveyed land. That's a middle reading: not the sharp swings that crack a foundation outright, but enough that grading and drainage are worth getting right.

This is a county figure, not a lot figure

USDA's survey covers the whole of Hutchinson County, SD 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 Hutchinson County.

Report cost vs. repair cost

With Hutchinson 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.

Where this sits nationally

Nationally, Hutchinson County, SD is the 858-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within South Dakota alone it ranks 57 of 66. Hutchinson County, SD is 813 square miles with a population of 7,416.

Before you act on this

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Waupaca County, WI and Daniels County, MT 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 Brown County, SD and Roberts County, SD. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.