Scott County, MN Shrink-Swell Risk

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

Moderate

Scott County, MN: USDA's soil survey rates 67.7% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (3.07% 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 Scott County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Scott 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 Scott 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.

Where this sits nationally

Nationally, Scott County, MN is the 1,139-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Minnesota alone it ranks 34 of 87. Scott County covers 356 square miles and counts 157,206 residents.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Allamakee County, IA and Sussex County, NJ 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 Steele County, MN. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.