Cumberland County, VA's soil, for a septic absorption field

Very limited

In Cumberland County, VA, 74.9% of the surveyed land carries a "Very limited" rating for a standard septic drain field. That reading means a conventional system is a poor bet here - 74.9% of Cumberland County lands in the strictest "very limited" bucket USDA uses. Cumberland County covers 297.474 square miles and counts 10,062 residents.

This is a county figure, not a parcel figure

Two lots a mile apart in Cumberland 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 Cumberland County.

System cost, conventional vs. engineered

Given Cumberland 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 Cumberland County, VA compares

Nationally, Cumberland County, VA is the 2,288-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within Virginia alone it ranks 61 of 110.

Before you act on this

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