How Much Does a Perc Test Cost?

Official perc test and soil evaluation fees

Most cost guides quote a national range with no source. These are actual fees from state rules and county fee schedules. Where we list a county, the fee applies only in that county. Neighboring counties can charge differently.

State	Who sets it	Fee
Florida	Statewide rule 62-6.030	$115 site evaluation ($50 re-evaluation) source
Tennessee	TDEC (statewide rule)	$150 per lot soil evaluation (subdivisions of 2 lots or fewer) source
Virginia	VDH (statewide)	$425 permit if VDH evaluates; $225 with a private evaluator’s documentation source
North Carolina	Wake County (example county)	$400 improvement permit (soil/site evaluation) source
Pennsylvania	Manchester Borough (example, 2026)	$340 six-hole perc test (you dig) or $590 (SEO digs); $140 probe source
Pennsylvania	Codorus Township, York County (example, 2024)	$350 six-hole perc test; $200 per deep probe source
Georgia	Oconee County (example, 2025)	$450 site evaluation + final inspection (1–4 BR); private soil report extra source
Michigan	Delta & Menominee Counties (example, 2025)	$319 raw-land evaluation, up to 6 borings or pits source
Ohio	Logan County (example)	$75 site review; private soil evaluator billed separately source
Washington	San Juan County (example, 2025)	$750 design application with new soil logs source
Minnesota	Morrison County (example, 2026)	$150 soil verification source

Why the market price is higher than many government fees: in many states the health department’s fee covers only its review. The soil scientist, engineer or evaluator who digs and logs the test holes is hired and paid separately. Equipment rental, such as a backhoe for the soil pit, may also be on you.

Perc test vs. soil evaluation

“Perc test” is often used to mean any septic soil test, but there are two different methods:

• Percolation test. Water is poured into small holes and timed as it drops. The rate in minutes per inch helps size the drain field.
• Soil profile (morphology) evaluation. A pit or borings expose the soil layers. A trained evaluator reads texture, structure, color patterns that show a seasonal water table, and depth to rock.

K-State Research and Extension calls a soil profile evaluation to at least 6 feet the recommended method. It notes that perc tests don’t reveal limiting soil layers, are hard to do properly in clay, and can look too fast in dry weather when shrink-swell soils crack. Several states’ rules now rely on soil borings or pits:

State	What the rule calls for	Who does it
Pennsylvania	Deep probe (soil pit) first, then a perc test with at least 6 holes	Certified sewage enforcement officer (SEO)
Texas	Two soil borings or backhoe pits at opposite ends of the disposal area	Site evaluator or professional engineer
Washington	Soil logs to 3 feet below the planned infiltrative surface	Professional engineer, licensed designer or health officer
Ohio	Borings or excavations up to 60 inches, describing limiting conditions	Approved soil evaluators (e.g., certified soil scientists) or sanitarians
Minnesota	At least 3 soil observations; perc test only if the local government requires it	Set by local rules
Virginia	Evaluation and design by a private authorized onsite soil evaluator (AOSE), or by VDH on petition	AOSE licensed by DPOR, or VDH
North Carolina	Comprehensive soil and site evaluation before an improvement permit	Local health department

How a perc test works

Pennsylvania’s rules are the most detailed example:

In some Pennsylvania townships the applicant supplies the excavator and digs the holes, which is why fee schedules list one price if you dig and a higher one if the officer’s crew digs.

Timing: when a test can be done

Weather matters. Minnesota prohibits perc tests where frost is within 12 inches of the bottom of the test hole, and its soils must be evaluated when moist and unfrozen. Ask your local health department whether tests are limited to certain months where you live. A winter purchase may mean waiting for spring to know whether the lot can be built on.

What the results mean

Nebraska Extension describes suitable soils as absorbing water slower than 5 minutes per inch and faster than 60 minutes per inch. In between, the rate decides how big the drain field must be, which is why slow soils cost more to build on. See how the soil changes field size in drain field replacement cost and septic system installation cost.

If the land fails:

• Test a different spot. Pennsylvania townships, for example, ask applicants to propose an alternate testing site in case the first one fails.
• Consider an alternative system. Pennsylvania’s DEP notes that elevated sand mounds may be available where a standard system isn’t. See mound system cost and aerobic system cost.
• Accept that some lots can’t have septic. NC State Extension warns that many soils are not suitable for any alternative system. That’s the most important reason to test before you buy.

How to save on a perc test

• Ask the health department first. Some counties do the evaluation themselves for a flat fee. Others require a private evaluator.
• Dig the holes yourself where that’s allowed, under the evaluator’s instructions. In Manchester Borough, PA, that saves $250.
• Don’t grade or dig before the visit. Oconee County, Georgia warns that grading or digging the lot before the site visit can void the soil survey.
• Test before you close on land, and make the purchase contingent on a passing result.

To estimate the full project once you know your soil, use the septic system cost calculator.