Pierce County, ND Shrink-Swell Risk

Pierce County, ND's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Low

Pierce County, ND: USDA's soil survey rates 92.3% of the county "Low" for shrink-swell potential (1.72% linear extensibility). That's as favorable a county-level reading as this dataset produces - standard foundation practice, pending one lot's own geotechnical report.

What Pierce County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Pierce County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide reading. A local geotechnical report, typically $1,000-$5,000 (around $2,700 typical), is the only way to know what one lot in Pierce County will actually do.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Pierce County, ND rating "Low", 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.

Pierce County's rank among North Dakota counties

Nationally, Pierce County, ND is the 2,264-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within North Dakota alone it ranks 52 of 53. Pierce County covers 1,018 square miles and counts 3,853 residents.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Madison County, NE and Orange 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 North Dakota

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