Lincoln County, SD Shrink-Swell Risk

Lincoln County, SD's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Lincoln County, SD: USDA's soil survey rates 77.6% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (5.09% linear extensibility). That's a middle reading: not the sharp swings that crack a foundation outright, but enough that grading and drainage are worth getting right.

What Lincoln County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Lincoln County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide reading. A local geotechnical report, typically $1,000-$5,000 (around $2,700 typical), is the only way to know what one lot in Lincoln County will actually do.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Lincoln 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.

Lincoln County's rank among South Dakota counties

Nationally, Lincoln County, SD is the 276-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within South Dakota alone it ranks 18 of 66. Lincoln County covers 577 square miles and counts 75,244 residents.

Before you act on this

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Pickett County, TN and Nance County, NE 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 Tripp County, SD and Sanborn County, SD. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.