Horry County, SC's soil, for a septic absorption field

Very limited

In Horry County, SC, 97.8% of the surveyed land carries a "Very limited" rating for a standard septic drain field. This is the reading that pushes a project toward an engineered system rather than a conventional one, and it covers 97.8% of Horry County's land. Horry County covers 1,133.151 square miles and counts 413,391 residents.

This is a county figure, not a parcel figure

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Horry County, SC - never a reading for one specific parcel. A site-specific perc test, usually $750-$1,850, is what a health department will actually require before permitting a lot in Horry County.

System cost, conventional vs. engineered

Given Horry 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.

Horry County's rank among South Carolina counties

Nationally, Horry County, SC is the 273-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within South Carolina alone it ranks 1 of 46.

Related guides

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