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

Very limited

In Monroe County, MO, 96.3% of the surveyed land carries a "Very limited" rating for a standard septic drain field. Practically, that rules out a simple gravity system for most of the county - 96.3% of it sits in USDA's most-constrained bucket. Monroe County covers 647.64 square miles and counts 8,890 residents.

This is a county figure, not a parcel figure

Two lots a mile apart in Monroe County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide rating. 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.

How Monroe County, MO compares

Nationally, Monroe County, MO is the 486-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within Missouri alone it ranks 42 of 114.

Before you act on this

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