Smith County's SSURGO septic rating

Very limited

Smith County, KS: USDA's soil survey calls 59.8% of the county "Very limited" for a septic leach field. This is the reading that pushes a project toward an engineered system rather than a conventional one, and it covers 59.8% of Smith County's land. For scale: 895.464 square miles and 3,541 people call Smith County home.

Before you rely on this for one lot

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Smith County, KS - never a reading for one specific parcel. The real answer for one lot is still a site-specific perc test, running about $750-$1,850 (typically near $1,300).

Budgeting for a system in Smith County, KS

Smith County's soil reading pushes the likely outcome toward an engineered system rather than a conventional one. 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.

Smith County's rank among Kansas counties

Among the 3,058 rated counties on this site, Smith County, KS ranks 2,729 most-constrained nationally, and 87 of 105 within Kansas.

Related guides

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