Sheridan County, ND's soil, for a septic absorption field

Somewhat limited

55.8% of Sheridan County, ND's surveyed soil comes back "Somewhat limited" in USDA's own SSURGO data, the county's dominant condition for a septic absorption field. That's a middle reading: not the outright failure "very limited" soil produces, but not a clean pass either. Design changes often bridge the gap. Sheridan County covers 972.226 square miles and counts 1,268 residents.

This is a county figure, not a parcel figure

Nothing about Sheridan County, ND'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 Sheridan County.

System cost, conventional vs. engineered

Given Sheridan 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.

How Sheridan County, ND compares

Nationally, Sheridan County, ND is the 2,958-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within North Dakota alone it ranks 49 of 53.

Before you act on this

How this rating is built, and its real limits · How a percolation test actually works