Marion County, MO Shrink-Swell Risk

Marion County, MO's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Marion County, MO: USDA's soil survey rates 46.3% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (4.68% 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 Marion County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Marion 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 Marion County, MO 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.

Marion County's rank among Missouri counties

Nationally, Marion County, MO is the 352-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Missouri alone it ranks 45 of 114. Marion County covers 437 square miles and counts 28,425 residents.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Grundy County, TN and Nevada County, AR 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 Missouri

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