Septic soil in Decatur County, GA, by the numbers

Very limited

In Decatur County, GA, 46.8% of the surveyed land carries a "Very limited" rating for a standard septic drain field. Practically, that rules out a simple gravity system for most of the county - 46.8% of it sits in USDA's most-constrained bucket. Decatur County covers 597.239 square miles and counts 29,391 residents.

This is a county figure, not a parcel figure

Two lots a mile apart in Decatur 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 Decatur County.

System cost, conventional vs. engineered

Given Decatur 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 Decatur County, GA compares

Nationally, Decatur County, GA is the 2,901-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within Georgia alone it ranks 109 of 159.

Before you act on this

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