What Osceola County, IA's soil rates for a septic system

Very limited

In Osceola County, IA, 94.9% 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 94.9% of the county. Osceola County covers 398.687 square miles and counts 6,036 residents.

This is a county figure, not a parcel figure

Osceola 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 Osceola County.

System cost, conventional vs. engineered

Given Osceola 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.

Osceola County's rank among Iowa counties

Nationally, Osceola County, IA is the 683-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within Iowa alone it ranks 48 of 99.

Before you act on this

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