Vermilion County, IL Shrink-Swell Risk

Vermilion County, IL's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Vermilion County, IL: USDA's soil survey rates 56.1% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (4.17% 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 Vermilion County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Vermilion 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 Vermilion County.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Vermilion County, IL 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, Vermilion County, IL is the 489-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Illinois alone it ranks 22 of 101. Vermilion County covers 898 square miles and counts 71,106 residents.

Before you act on this

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Toombs County, GA and Lamar 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 Illinois

Every county in Illinois is on this site, including Shelby County, IL and Morgan County, IL. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.