Septic soil in Wayne County, MS, by the numbers

Very limited

In Wayne County, MS, 85% of the surveyed land carries a "Very limited" rating for a standard septic drain field. That reading means a conventional system is a poor bet here - 85% of Wayne County lands in the strictest "very limited" bucket USDA uses. Wayne County covers 810.716 square miles and counts 19,749 residents.

This is a county figure, not a parcel figure

Two lots a mile apart in Wayne County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide rating. A site-specific perc test, usually $750-$1,850, is what a health department will actually require before permitting a lot in Wayne County.

System cost, conventional vs. engineered

Given Wayne 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.

Wayne County's rank among Mississippi counties

Nationally, Wayne County, MS is the 1,688-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within Mississippi alone it ranks 61 of 82.

Related guides

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