Soil series profile
Nolin soil series
Nolin is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 559,237 acres in 186 counties across 9 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 92% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 7.0 neutral · range 6.6–7.0
- Mapped area
- 559k acres in 186 counties, 9 states
Typical Nolin profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–10 in (H1) | Silt loam | 7.0 | 24% | 7% | 3% |
| 10–48 in (H2) | Silt loam | 7.0 | 26% | 7% | 0.5% |
| 48–98 in (H3) | Gravelly clay loam | 6.8 | 30% | 26% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Nolin soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Nolin soils is neutral: pH 7.0 (most land between 6.6 and 7.0), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 95% of mapped Nolin acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (88% of mapped Nolin acres).
>99% of mapped Nolin 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 95% of the acres in mapped Nolin soils very limited, <1% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (5% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).
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 91% of the acres (54% occasional, 32% frequent).
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Nolin soil is found
Mapped acres
Nolin is mapped in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Illinois, West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland. The 60 counties with the most Nolin acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Hardin County, KY | 20,663 | 5.1% |
| Christian County, KY | 17,592 | 3.8% |
| Trigg County, KY | 17,178 | 6.4% |
| Warren County, KY | 14,724 | 4.2% |
| Logan County, KY | 14,135 | 4.0% |
| Adams County, OH | 13,056 | 3.5% |
| Todd County, KY | 11,250 | 4.7% |
| Scioto County, OH | 10,359 | 2.7% |
| Green County, KY | 10,299 | 5.6% |
| Knox County, IN | 10,149 | 3.1% |
| Larue County, KY | 9,627 | 5.7% |
| Gibson County, IN | 9,327 | 3.0% |
| Bullitt County, KY | 9,297 | 4.9% |
| Union County, KY | 8,852 | 4.1% |
| Allen County, KY | 8,697 | 3.9% |
| Breckinridge County, KY | 8,544 | 2.4% |
| Marion County, KY | 8,209 | 3.7% |
| Lyon County, KY | 8,030 | 6.0% |
| Bourbon County, KY | 7,688 | 4.2% |
| Casey County, KY | 7,669 | 2.7% |
| Butler County, KY | 7,651 | 2.8% |
| Shelby County, KY | 7,134 | 2.9% |
| Hart County, KY | 7,083 | 2.7% |
| Meade County, KY | 6,842 | 3.5% |
| Scott County, KY | 6,806 | 3.8% |
| Adair County, KY | 6,743 | 2.6% |
| Pendleton County, KY | 6,494 | 3.6% |
| Lincoln County, KY | 6,174 | 2.9% |
| Lawrence County, IN | 6,165 | 2.1% |
| Stewart County, TN | 6,114 | 2.1% |
| Fleming County, KY | 6,053 | 2.7% |
| Crittenden County, KY | 5,993 | 2.6% |
| Washington County, KY | 5,906 | 3.1% |
| Owen County, KY | 5,836 | 2.6% |
| Mercer County, KY | 5,817 | 3.6% |
| Centre County, PA | 5,804 | 0.8% |
| Caldwell County, KY | 5,604 | 2.5% |
| Livingston County, KY | 5,589 | 2.8% |
| Wayne County, KY | 5,407 | 1.9% |
| Washington County, IN | 5,384 | 1.6% |
| Nicholas County, KY | 5,152 | 4.1% |
| Grant County, KY | 5,086 | 3.1% |
| Taylor County, KY | 5,080 | 2.9% |
| Boyle County, KY | 5,018 | 4.3% |
| Edmonson County, KY | 4,935 | 2.6% |
| Muskingum County, OH | 4,905 | 1.2% |
| Spencer County, KY | 4,823 | 4.1% |
| White County, IL | 4,725 | 1.6% |
| Noble County, OH | 4,526 | 1.8% |
| Ohio County, KY | 4,482 | 1.2% |
| Monroe County, KY | 4,475 | 2.1% |
| Garrard County, KY | 4,364 | 3.0% |
| Jefferson County, KY | 4,280 | 1.7% |
| Mason County, KY | 4,198 | 2.7% |
| Simpson County, KY | 4,108 | 2.7% |
| Tuscarawas County, OH | 4,048 | 1.1% |
| Sumner County, TN | 4,010 | 1.2% |
| Henry County, KY | 3,758 | 2.0% |
| Cheatham County, TN | 3,680 | 1.9% |
| Guernsey County, OH | 3,498 | 1.1% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Nolin acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.5% |
| Very limited | 94.5% |
| Not rated | 5.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Nolin acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 4.4 feet (53 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Mapped as flooding on 91% of acres (54% occasional, 32% frequent).
- Slope
- Typically 1–2% (median 1%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 3%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 99.8% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.2% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 91.6% |
| C: slow infiltration | 3.4% |
| 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 | 5.0% |
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
- All map unit components named Nolin (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 559,237 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Nolin components. The profile comes from the single largest Nolin component. Full methodology.