Soil series profile
Fullerton soil series
Fullerton is a well drained soil with a gravelly silt loam surface, mapped on 980,445 acres in 56 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 97% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.3 strongly acidic · range 5.0–5.5
- Mapped area
- 980k acres in 56 counties, 3 states
Typical Fullerton profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 in (A) | Gravelly silt loam | 5.5 | 21% | 21% | 1.25% |
| 6–19 in (Bt1) | Gravelly silty clay | 5.0 | 43% | 12% | 0.25% |
| 19–36 in (Bt2) | Gravelly clay | 5.0 | 46% | 17% | 0.25% |
| 36–75 in (Bt3) | Gravelly clay | 5.0 | 52% | 18% | 0% |
What this means
What Fullerton soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Fullerton soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.3 (most land between 5.0 and 5.5). 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.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers >99% of mapped Fullerton acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is gravelly silt loam (81% of mapped Fullerton acres).
100% of mapped Fullerton 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 56% of the acres in mapped Fullerton soils very limited, 43% somewhat limited and <1% 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 Fullerton soil is found
Mapped acres
Fullerton is mapped in Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Claiborne County, TN | 71,673 | 25.9% |
| McMinn County, TN | 59,736 | 21.7% |
| Hamilton County, TN | 57,479 | 16.7% |
| Roane County, TN | 46,331 | 20.1% |
| Lauderdale County, AL | 44,814 | 11.8% |
| Calhoun County, AL | 39,070 | 11.2% |
| Floyd County, GA | 36,711 | 11.7% |
| Campbell County, TN | 33,952 | 11.1% |
| Giles County, TN | 31,960 | 8.2% |
| Limestone County, AL | 30,825 | 9.7% |
| Polk County, GA | 30,338 | 15.9% |
| Union County, TN | 30,004 | 20.9% |
| Loudon County, TN | 29,850 | 20.3% |
| Talladega County, AL | 29,105 | 7.0% |
| Jefferson County, AL | 28,052 | 4.8% |
| Bradley County, TN | 27,277 | 13.2% |
| Anderson County, TN | 24,509 | 11.4% |
| Bartow County, GA | 23,427 | 8.0% |
| DeKalb County, AL | 21,890 | 5.0% |
| Jackson County, AL | 20,992 | 3.6% |
| Meigs County, TN | 20,988 | 16.8% |
| Grainger County, TN | 19,449 | 10.7% |
| Knox County, TN | 18,077 | 5.6% |
| Monroe County, TN | 17,218 | 4.2% |
| Chattooga County, GA | 16,611 | 8.6% |
| Walker County, GA | 15,454 | 5.5% |
| Marshall County, AL | 14,437 | 4.5% |
| Jefferson County, TN | 12,861 | 7.3% |
| Colbert County, AL | 12,479 | 3.9% |
| Hancock County, TN | 11,321 | 8.0% |
| Rhea County, TN | 10,201 | 5.0% |
| Shelby County, AL | 10,105 | 2.3% |
| DeKalb County, TN | 8,610 | 4.4% |
| Blount County, AL | 8,140 | 2.3% |
| Whitfield County, GA | 7,917 | 4.5% |
| Hamblen County, TN | 7,795 | 7.5% |
| Marion County, TN | 6,518 | 2.0% |
| Madison County, AL | 6,165 | 1.4% |
| Franklin County, TN | 5,130 | 1.5% |
| Catoosa County, GA | 4,683 | 4.7% |
| Hawkins County, TN | 4,509 | 1.4% |
| Dade County, GA | 4,037 | 3.6% |
| Sevier County, TN | 3,688 | 1.0% |
| Murray County, GA | 3,467 | 1.6% |
| Gordon County, GA | 2,675 | 1.5% |
| Bledsoe County, TN | 2,579 | 1.0% |
| Blount County, TN | 1,765 | 0.5% |
| Cherokee County, AL | 1,237 | 0.4% |
| Lawrence County, TN | 1,162 | 0.3% |
| Hardin County, TN | 812 | 0.2% |
| Cocke County, TN | 651 | 0.2% |
| Sequatchie County, TN | 562 | 0.3% |
| Bibb County, AL | 512 | 0.1% |
| Cumberland County, TN | 472 | 0.1% |
| Greene County, TN | 98 | 0.0% |
| Washington County, TN | 65 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Fullerton acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.1% |
| Somewhat limited | 43.2% |
| Very limited | 56.3% |
| Not rated | 0.5% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Fullerton acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- None reported within about 6.5 feet (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 9–35% (median 17%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 100.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 2.5% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 97.1% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.0% |
| 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 | 0.5% |
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 Fullerton (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 980,445 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Fullerton components. The profile comes from the single largest Fullerton component. Full methodology.