What Nelson County, VA's soil rates for a septic system

Very limited

In Nelson County, VA, 84.7% 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 84.7% of the county. Nelson County covers 470.745 square miles and counts 14,766 residents.

This is a county figure, not a parcel figure

Two lots a mile apart in Nelson 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 Nelson County.

System cost, conventional vs. engineered

Given Nelson 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 Nelson County, VA compares

Nationally, Nelson County, VA is the 1,726-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within Virginia alone it ranks 32 of 110.

Related guides

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