Septic soil in Scott County, VA, by the numbers

Very limited

91.3% of Scott County, VA'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 91.3% of the county. Scott County covers 535.827 square miles and counts 21,388 residents.

This is a county figure, not a parcel figure

Two lots a mile apart in Scott County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide rating. A site-specific perc test, usually $750-$1,850, is what a health department will actually require before permitting a lot in Scott County.

System cost, conventional vs. engineered

Given Scott 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.

Where this sits nationally

Nationally, Scott County, VA is the 1,136-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within Virginia alone it ranks 10 of 110.

Before you act on this

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