Shelby County, TN: the USDA septic-suitability picture

Very limited

Shelby County, TN's SSURGO dominant class comes back "Very limited", covering 77.8% of the county. That reading means a conventional system is a poor bet here - 77.8% of Shelby County lands in the strictest "very limited" bucket USDA uses. The county spans 752.775 square miles, home to 910,530 people.

What this number does and doesn't tell you

Shelby 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.

Shelby County: conventional vs. engineered cost

77.8% of Shelby 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.

Where this sits nationally

Among the 3,058 rated counties on this site, Shelby County, TN ranks 2,148 most-constrained nationally, and 61 of 95 within Tennessee.

Before you act on this

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