Iron County, MI's soil, for a septic absorption field

Very limited

In Iron County, MI, 97.6% of the surveyed land carries a "Very limited" rating for a standard septic drain field. Expect the ground itself to work against a plain gravity system; USDA's strictest bucket alone covers 97.6% of the county. Iron County covers 1,166.116 square miles and counts 11,709 residents.

This is a county figure, not a parcel figure

Iron County's rating is an average across the whole county, not a promise about any one lot inside it. A site-specific perc test, usually $750-$1,850, is what a health department will actually require before permitting a lot in Iron County.

System cost, conventional vs. engineered

Given Iron 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, Iron County, MI is the 308-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within Michigan alone it ranks 10 of 83.

Related guides

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