Morgan County, MO Shrink-Swell Risk

What Morgan County, MO's soil means for a foundation

Moderate

USDA's SSURGO data puts Morgan County, MO's soil at "Moderate" shrink-swell potential, an area-weighted linear extensibility of 3.27% across 58.5% 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 Morgan County, MO 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 Morgan County.

Report cost vs. repair cost

With Morgan 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.

Where this sits nationally

Nationally, Morgan County, MO is the 997-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Missouri alone it ranks 73 of 114. The county spans 598 square miles, home to 22,399 people.

Before you act on this

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Lee County, KY and Haskell County, TX 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 Nodaway County, MO and New Madrid County, MO. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.