PercTestColorado

Building or buying land in Colorado?

Before a septic permit comes a soil evaluation — and every county runs it differently. See your county's pit and perc rules and the season that applies, then get a qualified tester out early.

See my county's rules

  • 4 Colorado counties covered
  • Every rule linked to the county's own regulation
  • Verified July 2026

How it works

  1. Look up your county

    Pit specs, perc procedures, seasonal windows, and fees differ by county. Start with where the land sits.

  2. See what the test really is

    In most counties the 'perc test' is now a soil profile pit evaluation — see exactly what yours requires, with the regulation linked.

  3. Request a soil evaluation

    Get connected with an engineer or qualified tester who digs, evaluates, and files exactly what the county wants.

Why land deals and builds get stuck here

The term everyone searches — 'perc test' — is no longer what most Colorado counties actually require, and outdated advice costs real money at permit time.

  • Mountain counties have short testing seasons. Summit County generally issues no septic permits from October through May — miss the window and the build waits for the thaw.
  • A poor evaluation result rarely means unbuildable — but the engineered-system path is county-specific and nobody explains it before you're under contract.

Start with the rules

Colorado perc tests are usually soil pits now — the real rule Colorado's Regulation 43 made soil profile test pits the baseline and perc tests optional. What your county actually requires before a septic permit, sourced. What a perc test costs in Colorado (and what you're really paying for) Colorado soil evaluation costs come in three parts — excavator, evaluator, county fees. What each runs, what changes the price, and where the traps are. Buying Colorado land? Do the soil test before you close A soil evaluation before closing tells you if the parcel can carry a normal septic system — or an expensive engineered one. How to structure the contingency.

Find your county

Rules differ by county. Find yours for the exact requirement, fees, and inspectors:

El Paso County Two-pit soil evaluation under Chapter 8 (Reg 43 pattern) Elbert County Two-pit soil evaluation — the vacant-land county Larimer County Site evaluation required since 2018 — county inspects open pits Summit County Short season: permits generally pause October–May

Get connected for a soil evaluation

Your request goes to an engineer or qualified soil tester serving your county — not a call-center list.

Prefer to talk? Call (970) 680-7991.