What DeKalb County, AL's soil rates for a septic system

Very limited

In DeKalb County, AL, 86.7% 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 - 86.7% of it sits in USDA's most-constrained bucket. DeKalb County covers 777.077 square miles and counts 73,122 residents.

This is a county figure, not a parcel figure

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in DeKalb County, AL - 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 DeKalb County.

System cost, conventional vs. engineered

Given DeKalb 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.

DeKalb County's rank among Alabama counties

Nationally, DeKalb County, AL is the 1,566-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within Alabama alone it ranks 18 of 67.

Related guides

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