Soil series profile
Tally soil series
Tally is a well drained soil with a sandy loam surface, mapped on 599,002 acres in 65 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group A.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- A 99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 7.0 neutral · range 7.0–7.0
- Mapped area
- 599k acres in 65 counties, 4 states
Typical Tally profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 in (Ap) | Sandy loam | 7.0 | 10% | 67% | 2% |
| 6–32 in (Bw) | Sandy loam | 7.5 | 12% | 66% | 1.5% |
| 32–60 in (Ck) | Sandy loam | 7.9 | 12% | 65% | 0.75% |
What this means
What Tally soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Tally soils is neutral: pH 7.0, the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers >99% of mapped Tally acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is fine sandy loam (77% of mapped Tally acres).
100% of mapped Tally acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
99% of mapped acres 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 100% of the acres in mapped Tally soils very limited, 0% 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 Tally soil is found
Mapped acres
Tally is mapped in North Dakota, Montana, South Dakota and Utah. The 60 counties with the most Tally acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Valley County, MT | 49,089 | 1.5% |
| Perkins County, SD | 43,808 | 2.4% |
| Daniels County, MT | 42,842 | 4.7% |
| Corson County, SD | 36,864 | 2.3% |
| Grant County, ND | 32,488 | 3.1% |
| Morton County, ND | 29,576 | 2.4% |
| Dunn County, ND | 28,765 | 2.2% |
| Roosevelt County, MT | 27,748 | 1.8% |
| McKenzie County, ND | 21,326 | 1.2% |
| Stark County, ND | 19,034 | 2.2% |
| Fergus County, MT | 18,629 | 0.7% |
| Cascade County, MT | 16,670 | 1.1% |
| Campbell County, SD | 15,747 | 3.3% |
| Hettinger County, ND | 14,932 | 2.1% |
| Adams County, ND | 14,597 | 2.3% |
| Slope County, ND | 14,580 | 1.9% |
| Custer County, MT | 14,204 | 0.6% |
| Bowman County, ND | 13,944 | 1.9% |
| Sioux County, ND | 12,797 | 1.8% |
| Williams County, ND | 11,398 | 0.9% |
| Glacier County, MT | 9,803 | 0.6% |
| Richland County, MT | 8,107 | 0.6% |
| Chouteau County, MT | 7,300 | 0.3% |
| Oliver County, ND | 7,107 | 1.5% |
| Billings County, ND | 6,111 | 0.8% |
| Emmons County, ND | 5,672 | 0.6% |
| McCone County, MT | 5,132 | 0.3% |
| Mercer County, ND | 4,970 | 0.7% |
| Walworth County, SD | 4,697 | 1.1% |
| Ziebach County, SD | 4,622 | 0.4% |
| McPherson County, SD | 4,268 | 0.6% |
| Toole County, MT | 3,902 | 0.4% |
| Divide County, ND | 3,722 | 0.5% |
| Dewey County, SD | 3,508 | 0.2% |
| Sheridan County, MT | 3,058 | 0.3% |
| Edmunds County, SD | 2,712 | 0.4% |
| Brown County, SD | 2,704 | 0.2% |
| Logan County, ND | 2,657 | 0.4% |
| Harding County, SD | 2,638 | 0.2% |
| Burleigh County, ND | 2,563 | 0.2% |
| Prairie County, MT | 2,434 | 0.2% |
| Mountrail County, ND | 2,389 | 0.2% |
| McLean County, ND | 2,205 | 0.2% |
| Daggett County, UT | 2,202 | 1.1% |
| Flathead County, MT | 1,716 | 0.1% |
| Faulk County, SD | 1,711 | 0.3% |
| Golden Valley County, ND | 1,652 | 0.3% |
| Blaine County, MT | 1,624 | 0.1% |
| Dawson County, MT | 1,620 | 0.1% |
| Wibaux County, MT | 1,585 | 0.3% |
| McIntosh County, ND | 1,489 | 0.2% |
| Burke County, ND | 1,111 | 0.2% |
| Meagher County, MT | 634 | 0.0% |
| Hill County, MT | 602 | 0.0% |
| Wheatland County, MT | 455 | 0.1% |
| Fallon County, MT | 421 | 0.0% |
| Kidder County, ND | 255 | 0.0% |
| Liberty County, MT | 203 | 0.0% |
| Sheridan County, ND | 144 | 0.0% |
| Stutsman County, ND | 127 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Tally acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 100.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Tally 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 3–12% (median 5%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 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) | 98.9% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 1.1% |
| 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% |
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 Tally (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 599,002 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Tally components. The profile comes from the single largest Tally component. Full methodology.