Osceola County, IA Shrink-Swell Risk

What Osceola County, IA's soil means for a foundation

Moderate

USDA's SSURGO data puts Osceola County, IA's soil at "Moderate" shrink-swell potential, an area-weighted linear extensibility of 4.1% across 70.1% 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 Osceola County, IA 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 Osceola County.

Report cost vs. repair cost

With Osceola County, IA 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.

Osceola County's rank among Iowa counties

Nationally, Osceola County, IA is the 526-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Iowa alone it ranks 42 of 99. Osceola County covers 399 square miles and counts 6,036 residents.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Richland County, SC and Scott County, MS 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 Iowa

Every county in Iowa is on this site, including Johnson County, IA and Boone County, IA. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.