Septic soil in Harlan County, KY, by the numbers

Very limited

Soil across 96.6% of Harlan County, KY rates "Very limited" in USDA's septic-absorption-field interpretation. This is the reading that pushes a project toward an engineered system rather than a conventional one, and it covers 96.6% of Harlan County's land. Harlan County, KY is 465.83 square miles with a population of 25,052.

What Harlan County's reading doesn't cover

Nothing about Harlan County, KY's SSURGO figure applies to a specific address - it's a county-wide average. A local percolation test, typically $750-$1,850 (around $1,300 typical), is the only way to know what one lot in Harlan County will actually do.

What a system would cost here

With 96.6% of Harlan 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.

Where this sits nationally

Nationally, Harlan County, KY is the 436-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within Kentucky alone it ranks 17 of 119.

Before you act on this

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