Owsley County's SSURGO septic rating

Very limited

USDA puts Owsley County, KY at "Very limited" for septic absorption fields, the dominant reading across 94.7% of the county's soil. This is the reading that pushes a project toward an engineered system rather than a conventional one, and it covers 94.7% of Owsley County's land. For scale: 197.402 square miles and 3,928 people call Owsley County home.

Before you rely on this for one lot

USDA's survey covers the whole of Owsley County, KY at once, not any single address. The real answer for one lot is still a site-specific perc test, running about $750-$1,850 (typically near $1,300).

Budgeting for a system in Owsley County, KY

Owsley County's soil reading pushes the likely outcome toward an engineered system rather than a conventional one. Conventional systems run $3,000-$8,000 where they pass; where they don't, engineered alternatives (mound or aerobic treatment, whichever the health department requires) run $10,000-$40,000 - budget toward the higher figure until a perc test says otherwise.

Where this sits nationally

Among the 3,058 rated counties on this site, Owsley County, KY ranks 702 most-constrained nationally, and 31 of 119 within Kentucky.

Related guides

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