For land buyers and investors

Learn if septic looks likely on a lot before the perc test.

A screening report for one lot. It reads public soil, flood, wetland and slope data and local septic rules where we have them, then shows a Green, Yellow or Red flag with reasons. Not a site evaluation or a permit.

Check a lot How it works

$29 per report. One report covers one lot. The lot check is free, with no login. If we can't complete your report, you are refunded.

USDA soil survey · FEMA · USGS · USFWS · local rules where we have them

Sample SepticFacts report, page 1, showing a Yellow result: possible, with extra steps. Fictional data. — Sample report · fictional data

Check the public record first.

A perc test or soil evaluation costs money and time, and some lots show limits in public data before anyone digs. Every result names its source.

Soil maps stop at the soil. SepticFacts reads soil, flood, wetland and slope together and tells you what they mean for septic, with every source cited.

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS): the soil survey
FEMA: flood zones
USGS: elevation and slope
US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS): wetlands
Local septic rules where we have them, researched by SiteFacts

Soil data is mapped at county scale. Results can differ on the lot itself, and at the spot where a septic system would go.

A Red result is useful too. It flags a serious septic limit before you pay for testing, so you can ask the permitting office what is possible.

How it works

01
Find the lot
Search an address, confirm the lot on the map, and see if we have local septic rules for that county. Free, no login.
02
Answer three questions
Tell us your plans for the lot and whether it is on or must connect to public sewer. If it is, you won't be charged.
03
Read your report
The flag, the reasons, the data behind it, and next steps. Print it or save as PDF.

What a report costs

$29

$29 covers one lot. You pay after you have confirmed the lot, and a report we can't complete is refunded.

See the result: a Green, Yellow or Red flag with the reasons behind it
Spot limits early: soil survey results (mapped at county scale), plus flood, wetland and slope checks
Read the local septic rules we have: each with its source and trust label
Know your next step: what to do before you buy, and who to call where we have it
Walk in prepared: eight questions to ask the permitting office

A screening report. Not a perc test, a site evaluation or a permit.

Check a lot See a sample report

Sample SepticFacts report, page 2, the soil survey table. Fictional data. — Sample report · fictional data

Questions buyers ask

Is this a perc test or a septic permit?

No. SepticFacts is a desk screening estimate. It reads public data and local rules to show whether septic looks likely on a lot. It does not replace the field evaluation the local authority requires, and it does not approve anything. Think of it as a place to start.

What do Green, Yellow and Red mean?

Green means public data shows few mapped septic limits on the lot. Yellow means septic looks possible, but expect extra steps or an alternative system, or some data was missing. Red means a local rule SepticFacts has on file points to a serious constraint for septic on the lot, such as a moratorium, a sewer requirement or a minimum lot size. None of them is a final answer.

Where does the data come from?

Soils come from the USDA NRCS soil survey, flood zones from FEMA, slope from USGS elevation data, and wetlands from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Soil is mapped at county scale, so results can differ at the exact spot a system would go. Local septic rules are included where we have them.

What if the lot is on public sewer?

The intake asks whether the lot is on or must connect to public sewer. If you say yes, we don't sell the report, because the septic question may not apply. Unless district data confirmed it, your report says sewer availability was not verified. Call the local sewer provider.

What if the report can't be completed?

A report we can't finish is refunded, and we tell you why. The lot check before you pay is free and needs no login, so you see the lot on the map, and whether we have local septic rules for its county, before you spend anything.

What if there are no local rules on file for this county?

The free lot check tells you before you pay. Without local rules on file, the report still covers soils, flood, wetlands and slope, plus any state level septic rule and who to call, where we have them. Then ask the local permitting agency what it requires.

See all questions