Perry County, MO's soil, for a septic absorption field

Very limited

92.5% of Perry County, MO's surveyed soil comes back "Very limited" in USDA's own SSURGO data, the county's dominant condition for a septic absorption field. Expect the ground itself to work against a plain gravity system; USDA's strictest bucket alone covers 92.5% of the county. Perry County covers 474.355 square miles and counts 19,100 residents.

This is a county figure, not a parcel figure

Nothing about Perry County, MO's SSURGO figure applies to a specific address - it's a county-wide average. A site-specific perc test, usually $750-$1,850, is what a health department will actually require before permitting a lot in Perry County.

System cost, conventional vs. engineered

Given Perry 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.

Perry County's rank among Missouri counties

Nationally, Perry County, MO is the 977-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within Missouri alone it ranks 67 of 114.

Related guides

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