Jefferson County, MT Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Jefferson County, MT

Low

Soil across 84.9% of Jefferson County, MT comes back "Low" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 2.05% linear extensibility. That's the easiest starting point on this site's scale - a standard foundation is the reasonable default here, though any one lot can still differ.

What this number does and doesn't tell you

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Jefferson County, MT - never a reading for one specific parcel. 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 Jefferson County.

Jefferson County: the real numbers

Jefferson 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.

How Jefferson County, MT compares

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Jefferson County, MT ranks 1,941 most-constrained nationally, and 44 of 54 within Montana. Jefferson County, MT is 1,657 square miles with a population of 13,304.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Lyon County, MN and Isabella County, MI 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 Montana

Every county in Montana is on this site, including Sweet Grass County, MT and Flathead County, MT. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.