Wells County, ND Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Wells County, ND

Low

Soil across 76.2% of Wells County, ND comes back "Low" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 2.27% linear extensibility. Among the 3,144 counties on this site, that's the clean result: little shrink-swell movement, standard construction the likely outcome.

What this number does and doesn't tell you

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Wells County, ND - never a reading for one specific parcel. 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 Wells County.

Wells County: the real numbers

Wells County's soil reading points toward standard foundation practice as the likely outcome, not the exception. 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.

How Wells County, ND compares

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Wells County, ND ranks 1,745 most-constrained nationally, and 49 of 53 within North Dakota. The county spans 1,271 square miles, home to 3,803 people.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Broome County, NY and Trumbull County, OH 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

Elsewhere in North Dakota

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