Bear Lake County, ID: the USDA septic-suitability picture
Very limited
USDA puts Bear Lake County, ID at "Very limited" for septic absorption fields, the dominant reading across 77.9% of the county's soil. A standard gravity system routinely fails on ground like this; the same share of the county falls in USDA's worst absorption-field bucket outright. The county spans 975.731 square miles, home to 6,779 people.
What this number does and doesn't tell you
Bear Lake County's rating is an average across the whole county, not a promise about any one lot inside it. Budget $750-$1,850 for a real perc test on any specific parcel - that's the only figure a permit application accepts.
Bear Lake County: conventional vs. engineered cost
77.9% of Bear Lake County carrying a "Very limited" reading changes the realistic budget here. Conventional systems run $3,000-$8,000 where they pass; where they don't, engineered alternatives (mound or aerobic treatment, whichever the health department requires) run $10,000-$40,000 - budget toward the higher figure until a perc test says otherwise.
Bear Lake County's rank among Idaho counties
Among the 3,058 rated counties on this site, Bear Lake County, ID ranks 2,145 most-constrained nationally, and 34 of 44 within Idaho.
Related guides
How this rating is built, and its real limits · Conventional vs. engineered septic systems