Morton County, ND Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Morton County, ND

Moderate

Soil across 53.8% of Morton County, ND comes back "Moderate" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 3.38% linear extensibility. Conventional foundations are the reasonable expectation here, with routine moisture-control practice rather than special engineering.

What this number does and doesn't tell you

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Morton County, ND - never a reading for one specific parcel. 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 Morton County.

Morton County: the real numbers

Morton County's soil reading points toward standard foundation practice as the likely outcome, not the exception. 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.

How Morton County, ND compares

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Morton County, ND ranks 920 most-constrained nationally, and 13 of 53 within North Dakota. The county spans 1,926 square miles, home to 34,194 people.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Lycoming County, PA and Dolores County, CO 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

Elsewhere in North Dakota

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