Septic soil in Dade County, GA, by the numbers

Very limited

In Dade County, GA, 81.2% of the surveyed land carries a "Very limited" rating for a standard septic drain field. This is the reading that pushes a project toward an engineered system rather than a conventional one, and it covers 81.2% of Dade County's land. Dade County covers 174.076 square miles and counts 16,068 residents.

This is a county figure, not a parcel figure

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Dade County, GA - never a reading for one specific parcel. A site-specific perc test, usually $750-$1,850, is what a health department will actually require before permitting a lot in Dade County.

System cost, conventional vs. engineered

Given Dade 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.

Dade County's rank among Georgia counties

Nationally, Dade County, GA is the 1,983-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within Georgia alone it ranks 62 of 159.

Before you act on this

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