Otoe County, NE Shrink-Swell Risk

Otoe County, NE's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Otoe County, NE: USDA's soil survey rates 54.8% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (5.71% linear extensibility). 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.

What Otoe County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Otoe County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide reading. 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 Otoe County.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Otoe County, NE 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.

Otoe County's rank among Nebraska counties

Nationally, Otoe County, NE is the 182-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Nebraska alone it ranks 8 of 93. Otoe County covers 616 square miles and counts 16,591 residents.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Clay County, AR and New York County, NY 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 Nebraska

Every county in Nebraska is on this site, including Keya Paha County, NE and Furnas County, NE. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.