County soil summary
Soil types in San Diego County, California
The most widespread soils are Cieneba, Fallbrook and Tollhouse; the most common drainage class is well drained (44% of the land), and typical topsoil pH is 6.5.
- Well or moderately well drained
- 77% of land · state 81%
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.5 slightly acidic · state 6.7
- Septic fields very limited
- 83% of land · state 79%
- Subject to flooding
- 6% of land, any frequency · state 11%
Most common soils in San Diego County
Share of mapped land
A county is a patchwork of many soils. These 8 cover 41% of the mapped land; 104 named soil series are mapped here in all.
| Soil | Share of land | Drainage | Topsoil pH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cieneba | 7.3% | Somewhat excessively drained | 6.5 |
| Fallbrook | 6.6% | Well drained | 6.3 |
| Rock outcropLand type, not a soil series | 6.4% | — | — |
| Acid igneous rock landLand type, not a soil series | 4.7% | — | — |
| Tollhouse | 4.7% | Somewhat excessively drained | 6.7 |
| La Posta | 4.3% | Somewhat excessively drained | 6.7 |
| Sheephead | 4.1% | Well drained | 6.5 |
| Las Posas | 3.3% | Well drained | 6.5 |
What this means
What the soils in San Diego County mean for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For your garden
Typical topsoil in San Diego County is slightly acidic: pH 6.5 (most land between 5.8 and 7.5), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 51% of the land: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is sandy loam (17% of the land).
77% of the land is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For your lawn and yard
On 58% of the land, rain soaks in slowly (hydrologic groups C and D, including dual groups that are D until drained). Expect runoff and puddles after heavy rain: core-aerate compacted lawns and keep ground sloping away from foundations.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 83% of the land in San Diego County very limited, 2% somewhat limited and 3% not limited (13% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).
That is close to the state as a whole (79% very limited).
Where the soil is very limited (slow permeability, a high water table, flooding, shallow bedrock or steep slopes), alternative systems such as mound or sand-filter designs are common and cost more.
Flooding is mapped on 6% of the land (1% occasional, <1% frequent).
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Drainage
How long the soil stays wet
The most common drainage class is well drained (44%). 77% of the land is moderately well drained or better, compared with 81% across California.
Show as a table
| Category | San Diego County | California |
|---|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 5.7% | 7.7% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 22.2% | 17.6% |
| Well drained | 43.6% | 50.7% |
| Moderately well drained | 5.5% | 4.7% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.8% | 2.5% |
| Poorly drained | 0.2% | 2.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.1% | 0.7% |
| Not rated | 21.9% | 14.2% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating for conventional drain fields
The rating looks at the soil from 24 to 60 inches deep: permeability, depth to a seasonal water table or bedrock, flooding and slope. “Very limited” means at least one feature is unfavorable enough that a conventional field is hard to make work.
Show as a table
| Category | San Diego County | California |
|---|---|---|
| Not limited | 2.5% | 4.3% |
| Somewhat limited | 2.0% | 3.6% |
| Very limited | 82.9% | 79.2% |
| Not rated | 12.6% | 12.9% |
Rain, runoff and water table
Hydrologic soil group, flooding, seasonal water table
Hydrologic soil group
How fast rain soaks in when the soil is already wet. Group A soaks in fastest, D slowest.
Show as a table
| Category | San Diego County | California |
|---|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 17.8% | 20.5% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 5.5% | 12.5% |
| C: slow infiltration | 16.6% | 22.7% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 41.6% | 30.3% |
| A/D: D as is, A if drained | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| B/D: D as is, B if drained | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| C/D: D as is, C if drained | 0.0% | 0.9% |
| Not rated | 18.2% | 12.6% |
Flooding
Show as a table
| Category | San Diego County | California |
|---|---|---|
| No flooding | 84.5% | 77.1% |
| Rare or very rare | 4.4% | 8.2% |
| Occasional | 1.2% | 1.6% |
| Frequent or very frequent | 0.4% | 1.0% |
| Not reported | 9.5% | 12.1% |
Seasonal high water table
Show as a table
| Category | San Diego County | California |
|---|---|---|
| Within 18 inches at some time of year | 0.3% | 2.6% |
| 18 inches to 3.3 feet | 0.4% | 1.9% |
| Deeper than 3.3 feet or none reported | 96.7% | 86.9% |
| Not reported | 2.6% | 8.6% |
Topsoil pH and texture
First mineral layer of each soil
Typical topsoil pH is 6.5 (slightly acidic); 80% of rated land falls between 5.8 and 7.5. Median topsoil organic matter is 1.2%.
Show as a table
| Category | San Diego County | California |
|---|---|---|
| Strongly acidic (below 5.5) | 0.1% | 3.1% |
| Moderately to slightly acidic (5.5–6.4) | 34.9% | 22.8% |
| Near neutral (6.5–7.3) | 32.1% | 25.2% |
| Alkaline (7.4 and up) | 8.0% | 30.6% |
| Not reported | 24.9% | 18.2% |
Texture
Show as a table
| Category | San Diego County | California |
|---|---|---|
| Sandy | 22.0% | 21.3% |
| Loamy (loam, silt loam and similar) | 50.5% | 56.7% |
| Clayey (40%+ clay) | 2.6% | 3.9% |
| Organic (muck or peat) | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Not reported (rock, urban land, etc.) | 24.9% | 18.0% |
Sources & data dates
- Source
- USDA NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO), queried through Soil Data Access. Public domain.
- Data date
- SSURGO as published on November 3, 2026 (most recent survey area update October 26, 2026). NRCS refreshes SSURGO each October.
- Scope
- San Diego County, California (FIPS 06073): 2,312,129 acres of mapped land, 26,922 acres of open water excluded. State comparisons pool all mapped land in California.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped land area: each map unit’s acres in the county times each soil component’s percentage. Open water is excluded. Topsoil values use the first mineral horizon of each component. Full methodology.