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

Very limited

91.2% of Frederick County, VA's surveyed soil comes back "Very limited" in USDA's own SSURGO data, the county's dominant condition for a septic absorption field. Expect the ground itself to work against a plain gravity system; USDA's strictest bucket alone covers 91.2% of the county. Frederick County covers 413.135 square miles and counts 98,109 residents.

This is a county figure, not a parcel figure

USDA's survey covers the whole of Frederick County, VA at once, not any single address. A site-specific perc test, usually $750-$1,850, is what a health department will actually require before permitting a lot in Frederick County.

System cost, conventional vs. engineered

Given Frederick 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.

Frederick County's rank among Virginia counties

Nationally, Frederick County, VA is the 1,147-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within Virginia alone it ranks 11 of 110.

Related guides

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