Septic soil in Goodhue County, MN, by the numbers

Very limited

72.1% of Goodhue County, MN'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 72.1% of the county. Goodhue County covers 756.742 square miles and counts 47,982 residents.

This is a county figure, not a parcel figure

Two lots a mile apart in Goodhue 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 Goodhue County.

System cost, conventional vs. engineered

Given Goodhue 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, Goodhue County, MN is the 2,399-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within Minnesota alone it ranks 81 of 86.

Further reading

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