Franklin County, VA's soil, for a septic absorption field

Very limited

Soil across 62.3% of Franklin County, VA rates "Very limited" in USDA's septic-absorption-field interpretation. Expect the ground itself to work against a plain gravity system; USDA's strictest bucket alone covers 62.3% of the county. Franklin County, VA is 690.611 square miles with a population of 55,637.

What Franklin County's reading doesn't cover

Franklin County's rating is an average across the whole county, not a promise about any one lot inside it. A local percolation test, typically $750-$1,850 (around $1,300 typical), is the only way to know what one lot in Franklin County will actually do.

What a system would cost here

With 62.3% of Franklin County rating "Very limited", a standard gravity system is not a safe assumption here. 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.

Franklin County's rank among Virginia counties

Nationally, Franklin County, VA is the 2,680-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within Virginia alone it ranks 83 of 110.

Further reading

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