What does it mean to say a house is perked for a four bedroom home?
"A perk test is done on vacant land that does not have access to a public sewer system. The test determines the ability of the land to absorb and process the material from an onsite septic sewer system. The statement you have asked about essentially says that the seller should have a certificate that would be needed usually by the community's health department to install a system sized to accommodate building a home with up to four bedrooms on the property."



Perc Testing and What to Do If The Site Fails "On rural sites without municipal sewage systems, a failed perc test means that no house can be built - which is why you should make any offer to purchase land contingent on the site passing the soil and perc tests.

"The two main tests used to determine a site's suitability for a septic system are a perc test and visual observation of the soil in a test pit, sometimes referred to as a deep hole test. Testing requirements vary greatly from state to state and often from town to town, as most states allow individual towns to establish separate rules within state guidelines. Make sure you talk to your town health officer about what tests are needed, when they can be done, and who should perform them."

Septic Systems Permits - Tennessee

Soil Surveys for TN / NRCS Soils

Soil Perc Testing Services in Columbia, TN

"Use the options to find property based on Parcel Number, Owner Name, Property Address, or Subdivision Name. Note: Bradley, Chester, Davidson (Nashville), Hamilton (Chattanooga), Hickman, Knox (Knoxville), Montgomery, Rutherford, Shelby (Memphis), Sumner, and Williamson Counties maintain their own sites. Links to those sites can be found in the Help section."

Instructions:
1. Go to the TN Interactive Map (Tennessee Property Viewer) website.
2. Choose a county.
3. Choose a search type: Parcel number, Owner Name, Property Address, and Subdivision.
4. Click Search.
5. Click Show FEMA DFIRM Flood Map. This will show if any special flood hazard area exists on the property which would be blue hash area.