Septic soil in Northumberland County, PA, by the numbers

Very limited

In Northumberland County, PA, 83.9% of the surveyed land carries a "Very limited" rating for a standard septic drain field. That reading means a conventional system is a poor bet here - 83.9% of Northumberland County lands in the strictest "very limited" bucket USDA uses. Northumberland County covers 457.678 square miles and counts 90,027 residents.

This is a county figure, not a parcel figure

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

System cost, conventional vs. engineered

Given Northumberland 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, Northumberland County, PA is the 1,786-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within Pennsylvania alone it ranks 48 of 66.

Related guides

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