Soil series profile
Dothan soil series
Dothan is a well drained soil with a loamy sand surface, mapped on 1,774,791 acres in 103 counties across 6 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 71% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.3 strongly acidic · range 5.3–5.3
- Mapped area
- 1.8M acres in 103 counties, 6 states
Typical Dothan profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–12 in (Ap) | Loamy sand | 5.3 | 5% | 86% | 0.25% |
| 12–24 in (Bt1) | Sandy clay loam | 5.3 | 30% | 62% | 0.15% |
| 24–34 in (Bt2) | Sandy clay loam | 5.3 | 30% | 62% | 0.15% |
| 34–48 in (Bt3) | Sandy clay loam | 5.3 | 30% | 62% | 0.15% |
| 48–65 in (Btv) | Sandy clay loam | 5.3 | 34% | 58% | 0.1% |
What this means
What Dothan soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Dothan soils is strongly acidic: pH 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 87% of mapped Dothan acres. 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 loamy sand (71% of mapped Dothan acres).
>99% of mapped Dothan acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
Most land is in hydrologic groups B and C, where rain soaks in at a moderate pace.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 99% of the acres in mapped Dothan soils very limited, 1% somewhat limited and 0% not 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.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Dothan soil is found
Mapped acres
Dothan is mapped in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. The 60 counties with the most Dothan acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Burke County, GA | 98,474 | 21.3% |
| Geneva County, AL | 97,000 | 30.0% |
| Houston County, AL | 92,969 | 28.7% |
| Jackson County, FL | 78,848 | 13.3% |
| Santa Rosa County, FL | 66,562 | 9.2% |
| Holmes County, FL | 65,014 | 21.0% |
| Covington County, AL | 55,117 | 9.3% |
| Orangeburg County, SC | 47,898 | 7.0% |
| Washington County, FL | 47,841 | 12.5% |
| Laurens County, GA | 45,150 | 10.1% |
| Screven County, GA | 44,265 | 12.5% |
| Jefferson County, GA | 44,102 | 15.1% |
| Clarendon County, SC | 40,981 | 10.6% |
| Okaloosa County, FL | 37,098 | 6.2% |
| Dooly County, GA | 35,844 | 16.0% |
| Calhoun County, FL | 35,168 | 9.7% |
| Aiken County, SC | 34,379 | 5.0% |
| Jefferson County, FL | 29,656 | 7.7% |
| Washington County, GA | 28,452 | 7.6% |
| Macon County, GA | 27,364 | 12.1% |
| Bleckley County, GA | 27,209 | 22.9% |
| Emanuel County, GA | 26,376 | 6.8% |
| Dillon County, SC | 26,350 | 10.2% |
| Thomas County, GA | 25,552 | 8.6% |
| Henry County, AL | 22,424 | 7.3% |
| Pulaski County, GA | 22,212 | 16.3% |
| Brooks County, GA | 21,076 | 7.8% |
| Harnett County, NC | 20,972 | 5.9% |
| Barbour County, AL | 20,868 | 4.4% |
| Richland County, SC | 20,381 | 4.3% |
| Johnson County, GA | 20,306 | 12.2% |
| Wilcox County, GA | 19,076 | 8.9% |
| Dodge County, GA | 18,936 | 6.9% |
| Coffee County, AL | 18,698 | 4.9% |
| Gadsden County, FL | 18,609 | 5.7% |
| Walton County, FL | 18,334 | 2.5% |
| Jenkins County, GA | 18,047 | 9.1% |
| Escambia County, AL | 17,547 | 3.3% |
| Grady County, GA | 17,217 | 7.1% |
| Marion County, SC | 16,400 | 5.4% |
| Calhoun County, SC | 15,599 | 6.7% |
| Wake County, NC | 14,635 | 2.8% |
| Colquitt County, GA | 13,840 | 4.6% |
| Decatur County, GA | 13,168 | 4.1% |
| Allendale County, SC | 12,676 | 3.4% |
| Muscogee County, GA | 12,100 | 9.0% |
| Crisp County, GA | 11,031 | 7.3% |
| Tift County, GA | 10,492 | 6.8% |
| Worth County, GA | 10,348 | 3.3% |
| Crenshaw County, AL | 10,161 | 2.9% |
| Lee County, SC | 9,320 | 3.6% |
| Coffee County, GA | 9,025 | 2.4% |
| Bulloch County, GA | 8,844 | 2.3% |
| Russell County, AL | 8,712 | 2.4% |
| Candler County, GA | 8,208 | 6.1% |
| Leon County, FL | 8,083 | 1.9% |
| Turner County, GA | 7,682 | 4.8% |
| Lee County, NC | 7,333 | 5.0% |
| Treutlen County, GA | 6,708 | 5.8% |
| Halifax County, NC | 6,515 | 1.6% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Dothan acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 1.1% |
| Very limited | 98.7% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Dothan acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 3.4 feet (41 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 1–4% (median 3%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 0.2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 99.9% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.3% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 70.9% |
| C: slow infiltration | 28.6% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 0.0% |
| A/D: D as is, A if drained | 0.0% |
| B/D: D as is, B if drained | 0.0% |
| C/D: D as is, C if drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
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
- All map unit components named Dothan (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 1,774,791 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Dothan components. The profile comes from the single largest Dothan component. Full methodology.