County soil summary
Soil types in Okaloosa County, Florida
The most widespread soils are Lakeland, Troup and Bonifay; the most common drainage class is excessively drained (36% of the land), and typical topsoil pH is 4.9.
- Well or moderately well drained
- 74% of land · state 24%
- Typical topsoil pH
- 4.9 very strongly acidic · state 5.3
- Septic fields very limited
- 81% of land · state 87%
- Subject to flooding
- 17% of land, any frequency · state 16%
Most common soils in Okaloosa County
Share of mapped land
A county is a patchwork of many soils. These 8 cover 74% of the mapped land; 44 named soil series are mapped here in all.
| Soil | Share of land | Drainage | Topsoil pH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeland | 33.7% | Excessively drained | 5.3 |
| Troup | 12.3% | Somewhat excessively drained | 5.3 |
| Bonifay | 6.7% | Well drained | 5.3 |
| Dothan | 6.2% | Well drained | 5.3 |
| Dorovan | 5.5% | Very poorly drained | 3.9 |
| Foxworth | 3.4% | Moderately well drained | 4.7 |
| Fuquay | 3.4% | Well drained | 5.5 |
| Kinston | 2.5% | Poorly drained | 5.3 |
What this means
What the soils in Okaloosa County mean for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For your garden
Typical topsoil in Okaloosa County is very strongly acidic: pH 4.9 (most land between 4.8 and 5.3). Most vegetables and lawn grasses do best around 6.0 to 7.0, so lime is often needed; blueberries, azaleas and rhododendrons like it as it is.
Sandy topsoil covers 80% of the land. It drains fast and warms early in spring, but dries out and loses nutrients quickly: mulch, compost and steady watering help. The most common surface texture is sand (63% of the land).
44% of the land is excessively or somewhat excessively drained: water moves through fast, so gardens need more frequent watering in dry spells.
For your lawn and yard
63% of the land is in hydrologic group A, where water soaks in fast. Lawns there dry out quickly; deeper, less frequent watering and organic matter help.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 81% of the land in Okaloosa County very limited, 18% somewhat limited and <1% not limited (1% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).
Statewide, 87% of the land is very limited, so Okaloosa County is less restrictive than typical.
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 17% of the land (3% occasional, 14% 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 excessively drained (36%). 74% of the land is moderately well drained or better, compared with 24% across Florida.
Show as a table
| Category | Okaloosa County | Florida |
|---|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 35.5% | 8.3% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 8.8% | 1.3% |
| Well drained | 24.2% | 7.7% |
| Moderately well drained | 5.4% | 6.3% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 9.1% | 8.1% |
| Poorly drained | 6.2% | 35.3% |
| Very poorly drained | 9.9% | 26.0% |
| Not rated | 0.9% | 7.1% |
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 | Okaloosa County | Florida |
|---|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| Somewhat limited | 18.3% | 5.3% |
| Very limited | 80.6% | 87.4% |
| Not rated | 1.0% | 7.2% |
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 | Okaloosa County | Florida |
|---|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 63.1% | 22.1% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 7.7% | 3.6% |
| C: slow infiltration | 7.6% | 1.8% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 0.0% | 2.5% |
| A/D: D as is, A if drained | 7.3% | 39.8% |
| B/D: D as is, B if drained | 12.9% | 13.3% |
| C/D: D as is, C if drained | 0.5% | 10.0% |
| Not rated | 1.0% | 6.9% |
Flooding
Show as a table
| Category | Okaloosa County | Florida |
|---|---|---|
| No flooding | 83.0% | 78.5% |
| Rare or very rare | 0.6% | 1.2% |
| Occasional | 2.7% | 2.0% |
| Frequent or very frequent | 13.7% | 13.1% |
| Not reported | 0.0% | 5.2% |
Seasonal high water table
Show as a table
| Category | Okaloosa County | Florida |
|---|---|---|
| Within 18 inches at some time of year | 17.2% | 62.3% |
| 18 inches to 3.3 feet | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| Deeper than 3.3 feet or none reported | 75.0% | 24.4% |
| Not reported | 0.0% | 4.5% |
Topsoil pH and texture
First mineral layer of each soil
Typical topsoil pH is 4.9 (very strongly acidic); 80% of rated land falls between 4.8 and 5.3. Median topsoil organic matter is 0.8%.
Show as a table
| Category | Okaloosa County | Florida |
|---|---|---|
| Strongly acidic (below 5.5) | 85.8% | 53.6% |
| Moderately to slightly acidic (5.5–6.4) | 6.2% | 19.0% |
| Near neutral (6.5–7.3) | 1.3% | 4.6% |
| Alkaline (7.4 and up) | 0.1% | 3.6% |
| Not reported | 6.5% | 19.2% |
Texture
Show as a table
| Category | Okaloosa County | Florida |
|---|---|---|
| Sandy | 80.4% | 74.9% |
| Loamy (loam, silt loam and similar) | 13.1% | 5.1% |
| Clayey (40%+ clay) | 0.0% | 0.7% |
| Organic (muck or peat) | 5.5% | 12.4% |
| Not reported (rock, urban land, etc.) | 1.0% | 6.9% |
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
- Okaloosa County, Florida (FIPS 12091): 594,990 acres of mapped land, 42,010 acres of open water excluded. State comparisons pool all mapped land in Florida.
- 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.