Wayne County, IA Shrink-Swell Risk

Wayne County, IA's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Wayne County, IA: USDA's soil survey rates 51.8% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (5.8% 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 Wayne County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Wayne 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 Wayne County.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Wayne County, IA 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, Wayne County, IA is the 160-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Iowa alone it ranks 1 of 99. Wayne County, IA is 525 square miles with a population of 6,622.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Hale County, TX and Upshur County, WV 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 Iowa

Every county in Iowa is on this site, including Hancock County, IA and Cerro Gordo County, IA. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.