Martin County, MN Shrink-Swell Risk

What Martin County, MN's soil means for a foundation

Moderate

USDA's SSURGO data puts Martin County, MN's soil at "Moderate" shrink-swell potential, an area-weighted linear extensibility of 3.04% across 61.2% of the county's surveyed land. A real but modest amount of movement - standard foundations usually hold up, but drainage and moisture control around the foundation still matter more than on low-risk soil.

This is a county figure, not a lot figure

USDA's survey covers the whole of Martin County, MN 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 Martin County.

Report cost vs. repair cost

With Martin County, MN 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, Martin County, MN is the 1,170-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Minnesota alone it ranks 37 of 87. Martin County, MN is 712 square miles with a population of 19,561.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Berrien County, MI and Defiance County, OH 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 Minnesota

Every county in Minnesota is on this site, including Traverse County, MN and Kanabec County, MN. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.