The Perk of the Property

Part 1: What is a perc test?

We covered ‘contingencies’ in an earlier post “Not Your Average Conditions”, and ended the most recent post with the term ‘perc test’. In that earlier post, we stated our purchase contract had a contingency to perform a perc test before completing the sale. What is a perc test?

A Percolation Test, otherwise known as a ‘perc test’, is testing how fast water drains through the soil. Having this test performed on your ‘raw land’ is an important pre-step to ensure you can build a house, especially if your land does not have access to municipal sewage. Without a perc test, or if you have unfavorable results from a perc test, you may not be able to install a septic system. And without municipal sewage or a septic system, well, you’re SOL (pun intended).

The winter months are not ideal for perc testing for a variety of reasons/conditions and rules; one rule NYS stipulates is: the ground cannot have standing snow (which was extremely challenging for us during this particular winter). Also, frozen ground can directly impact your water absorption rate and may affect your results. That said, with a looming closing date and the inability to complete this important test, we needed advice and we knew exactly who to call.