Septic suitability in Union County, TN

Very limited

USDA puts Union County, TN at "Very limited" for septic absorption fields, the dominant reading across 80.9% of the county's soil. Expect the ground itself to work against a plain gravity system; USDA's strictest bucket alone covers 80.9% of the county. For scale: 223.583 square miles and 21,064 people call Union County home.

Before you rely on this for one lot

Two lots a mile apart in Union County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide rating. 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 Union County, TN

Union 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.

How Union County, TN compares

Among the 3,058 rated counties on this site, Union County, TN ranks 1,996 most-constrained nationally, and 53 of 95 within Tennessee.

Before you act on this

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