Septic soil in Martin County, MN, by the numbers

Very limited

In Martin County, MN, 89.3% 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 89.3% of the county. Martin County covers 712.336 square miles and counts 19,561 residents.

This is a county figure, not a parcel figure

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

System cost, conventional vs. engineered

Given Martin 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, Martin County, MN is the 1,344-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within Minnesota alone it ranks 48 of 86.

Before you act on this

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