Norman County, MN Shrink-Swell Risk

Norman County, MN's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Norman County, MN: USDA's soil survey rates 51.4% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (4.02% 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 Norman County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Norman 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 Norman 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.

How Norman County, MN compares

Nationally, Norman County, MN is the 556-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Minnesota alone it ranks 7 of 87. The county spans 873 square miles, home to 6,284 people.

Before you act on this

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Cayuga County, NY and Scurry 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 Minnesota

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