What Marion County, IA's soil rates for a septic system

Very limited

In Marion County, IA, 92.3% 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 92.3% of the county. Marion County covers 554.49 square miles and counts 34,048 residents.

This is a county figure, not a parcel figure

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Marion County, IA - 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 Marion County.

System cost, conventional vs. engineered

Given Marion 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.

How Marion County, IA compares

Nationally, Marion County, IA is the 1,004-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within Iowa alone it ranks 68 of 99.

Related guides

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