What Catawba County, NC's soil rates for a septic system
Somewhat limited
In Catawba County, NC, 61.2% of the surveyed land carries a "Somewhat limited" rating for a standard septic drain field. That's a middle reading: not the outright failure "very limited" soil produces, but not a clean pass either. Design changes often bridge the gap. Catawba County covers 401.375 square miles and counts 167,054 residents.
This is a county figure, not a parcel figure
Catawba County's rating is an average across the whole county, not a promise about any one lot inside it. A site-specific perc test, usually $750-$1,850, is what a health department will actually require before permitting a lot in Catawba County.
System cost, conventional vs. engineered
Given Catawba County's rating, plan for the engineered-system range rather than the conventional one. The engineered-system range, $10,000-$40,000 (mound or aerobic treatment), is the more realistic number to plan around, against $3,000-$8,000 for a conventional system on the rare lot that passes.
Catawba County's rank among North Carolina counties
Nationally, Catawba County, NC is the 2,985-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within North Carolina alone it ranks 93 of 97.
Related guides
How this rating is built, and its real limits · How a percolation test actually works