Pope County, AR: the USDA septic-suitability picture

Very limited

USDA puts Pope County, AR at "Very limited" for septic absorption fields, the dominant reading across 89.4% of the county's soil. A standard gravity system routinely fails on ground like this; the same share of the county falls in USDA's worst absorption-field bucket outright. The county spans 810.952 square miles, home to 64,829 people.

What this number does and doesn't tell you

Pope County's rating is an average across the whole county, not a promise about any one lot inside it. Budget $750-$1,850 for a real perc test on any specific parcel - that's the only figure a permit application accepts.

Pope County: conventional vs. engineered cost

89.4% of Pope County carrying a "Very limited" reading changes the realistic budget here. 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.

Pope County's rank among Arkansas counties

Among the 3,058 rated counties on this site, Pope County, AR ranks 1,331 most-constrained nationally, and 43 of 75 within Arkansas.

Before you act on this

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