Erie County, NY's soil, for a septic absorption field

Very limited

Soil across 89.2% of Erie County, NY rates "Very limited" in USDA's septic-absorption-field interpretation. 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. Erie County covers 1,042.763 square miles and counts 950,602 residents.

This is a county figure, not a parcel figure

Two lots a mile apart in Erie 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 Erie County.

System cost, conventional vs. engineered

Given Erie 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.

Where this sits nationally

Nationally, Erie County, NY is the 1,349-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within New York alone it ranks 37 of 61.

Related guides

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