Blount County's SSURGO septic rating

Very limited

USDA puts Blount County, AL at "Very limited" for septic absorption fields, the dominant reading across 85.2% of the county's soil. Practically, that rules out a simple gravity system for most of the county - 85.2% of it sits in USDA's most-constrained bucket. The county spans 644.905 square miles, home to 60,163 people.

What this number does and doesn't tell you

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Blount County, AL - never a reading for one specific parcel. Budget $750-$1,850 for a real perc test on any specific parcel - that's the only figure a permit application accepts.

Blount County: conventional vs. engineered cost

85.2% of Blount 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.

How Blount County, AL compares

Among the 3,058 rated counties on this site, Blount County, AL ranks 1,671 most-constrained nationally, and 19 of 67 within Alabama.

Before you act on this

How this rating is built, and its real limits · Conventional vs. engineered septic systems