McKenzie County, ND Shrink-Swell Risk

What McKenzie County, ND's soil means for a foundation

Moderate

USDA's SSURGO data puts McKenzie County, ND's soil at "Moderate" shrink-swell potential, an area-weighted linear extensibility of 3.04% across 63.1% of the county's surveyed land. That's a middle reading: not the sharp swings that crack a foundation outright, but enough that grading and drainage are worth getting right.

This is a county figure, not a lot figure

USDA's survey covers the whole of McKenzie County, ND 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 McKenzie County.

Report cost vs. repair cost

With McKenzie County, ND 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, McKenzie County, ND is the 1,171-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within North Dakota alone it ranks 32 of 53. The county spans 2,760 square miles, home to 14,782 people.

Before you act on this

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Amelia County, VA and Daviess 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 North Dakota

Every county in North Dakota is on this site, including Hettinger County, ND and Ramsey County, ND. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.