Jefferson County, CO Shrink-Swell Risk

Jefferson County, CO's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Low

Jefferson County, CO: USDA's soil survey rates 94.3% of the county "Low" for shrink-swell potential (1.15% linear extensibility). That's as favorable a county-level reading as this dataset produces - standard foundation practice, pending one lot's own geotechnical report.

What Jefferson County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Jefferson County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide reading. The real answer for one lot is still a site-specific geotechnical report, running about $1,000-$5,000 (typically near $2,700).

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Jefferson County, CO rating "Low", 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.

Jefferson County's rank among Colorado counties

Nationally, Jefferson County, CO is the 2,797-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Colorado alone it ranks 56 of 63. The county spans 764 square miles, home to 578,533 people.

Before you act on this

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Dallas County, MO and Bates County, MO 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 Colorado

Every county in Colorado is on this site, including Douglas County, CO and Phillips County, CO. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.