Tioga County, PA: the USDA septic-suitability picture

Very limited

Tioga County, PA: USDA's soil survey calls 97.9% of the county "Very limited" for a septic leach field. A standard gravity system routinely fails on ground like this; the same share of the county falls in USDA's worst absorption-field bucket outright. The county spans 1,133.892 square miles, home to 40,698 people.

What this number does and doesn't tell you

Tioga 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.

Tioga County: conventional vs. engineered cost

97.9% of Tioga 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.

Tioga County's rank among Pennsylvania counties

Among the 3,058 rated counties on this site, Tioga County, PA ranks 262 most-constrained nationally, and 9 of 66 within Pennsylvania.

Before you act on this

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