Ocean County, NJ's soil, for a septic absorption field

Very limited

Soil across 79.2% of Ocean County, NJ rates "Very limited" in USDA's septic-absorption-field interpretation. This is the reading that pushes a project toward an engineered system rather than a conventional one, and it covers 79.2% of Ocean County's land. Ocean County covers 628.291 square miles and counts 666,434 residents.

This is a county figure, not a parcel figure

USDA's survey covers the whole of Ocean County, NJ at once, not any single address. A site-specific perc test, usually $750-$1,850, is what a health department will actually require before permitting a lot in Ocean County.

System cost, conventional vs. engineered

Given Ocean 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.

Ocean County's rank among New Jersey counties

Nationally, Ocean County, NJ is the 2,076-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within New Jersey alone it ranks 17 of 21.

Related guides

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