Cortland County, NY's soil, for a septic absorption field

Very limited

Soil across 98% of Cortland County, NY rates "Very limited" in USDA's septic-absorption-field interpretation. That reading means a conventional system is a poor bet here - 98% of Cortland County lands in the strictest "very limited" bucket USDA uses. Cortland County covers 498.774 square miles and counts 45,945 residents.

This is a county figure, not a parcel figure

Two lots a mile apart in Cortland County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide rating. A site-specific perc test, usually $750-$1,850, is what a health department will actually require before permitting a lot in Cortland County.

System cost, conventional vs. engineered

Given Cortland 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.

How Cortland County, NY compares

Nationally, Cortland County, NY is the 247-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within New York alone it ranks 7 of 61.

Further reading

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