Douglas County's SSURGO septic rating

Very limited

USDA puts Douglas County, MO at "Very limited" for septic absorption fields, the dominant reading across 81.8% of the county's soil. A standard gravity system routinely fails on ground like this; the same share of the county falls in USDA's worst absorption-field bucket outright. The county spans 813.623 square miles, home to 12,290 people.

What this number does and doesn't tell you

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Douglas County, MO - never a reading for one specific parcel. Budget $750-$1,850 for a real perc test on any specific parcel - that's the only figure a permit application accepts.

Douglas County: conventional vs. engineered cost

81.8% of Douglas County carrying a "Very limited" reading changes the realistic budget here. Conventional systems run $3,000-$8,000 where they pass; where they don't, engineered alternatives (mound or aerobic treatment, whichever the health department requires) run $10,000-$40,000 - budget toward the higher figure until a perc test says otherwise.

How Douglas County, MO compares

Among the 3,058 rated counties on this site, Douglas County, MO ranks 1,944 most-constrained nationally, and 99 of 114 within Missouri.

Further reading

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