Shelby County, OH's soil, for a septic absorption field

Very limited

97.6% of Shelby County, OH'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 97.6% of the county. Shelby County covers 407.691 square miles and counts 47,952 residents.

This is a county figure, not a parcel figure

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Shelby County, OH - never a reading for one specific parcel. A site-specific perc test, usually $750-$1,850, is what a health department will actually require before permitting a lot in Shelby County.

System cost, conventional vs. engineered

Given Shelby 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.

Shelby County's rank among Ohio counties

Nationally, Shelby County, OH is the 302-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within Ohio alone it ranks 33 of 87.

Related guides

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