Perry County, MO Shrink-Swell Risk

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

Moderate

USDA's SSURGO data puts Perry County, MO's soil at "Moderate" shrink-swell potential, an area-weighted linear extensibility of 3.56% across 65.2% 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 Perry 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 Perry County.

Report cost vs. repair cost

With Perry 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.

Perry County's rank among Missouri counties

Nationally, Perry County, MO is the 803-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Missouri alone it ranks 66 of 114. Perry County, MO is 474 square miles with a population of 19,100.

Before you act on this

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Jackson County, AL and Crook County, WY 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 Polk County, MO and Washington County, MO. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.