What is the difference between my SepticFacts report and a septic soils evaluation?

Your SepticFacts report is a desk screen: it reads mapped soil survey data, flood, wetland and slope layers, and the local septic rules we have on file, and estimates whether septic looks likely, harder, or unlikely. A soils evaluation is the field inspection the county requires: someone qualified looks at the actual soil in test pits on your lot and decides what system is approved. Soil maps are drawn at a scale that can miss conditions at a specific spot, so a report can say “likely” and the field can still say “no,” or the reverse. Use the report to decide whether to spend money on the evaluation; only the evaluation counts for the permit.