Monroe County, KY's soil, for a septic absorption field

Very limited

Soil across 63.8% of Monroe County, KY rates "Very limited" in USDA's septic-absorption-field interpretation. Expect the ground itself to work against a plain gravity system; USDA's strictest bucket alone covers 63.8% of the county. Monroe County covers 329.475 square miles and counts 11,163 residents.

This is a county figure, not a parcel figure

Monroe 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 Monroe County.

System cost, conventional vs. engineered

Given Monroe 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.

Monroe County's rank among Kentucky counties

Nationally, Monroe County, KY is the 2,640-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within Kentucky alone it ranks 108 of 119.

Related guides

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