A free soil, terrain, drainage, tree species, and sun exposure report for any property in the United States. Powered by USDA Soil Survey and USGS elevation data. Built for lot owners at The Woods at Duck Harbor and useful for any landowner.
Enter an address or place a pin on the map and the tool generates a multi page report describing the parcel and its surroundings.
The tool is informational and is not a substitute for a survey, perc test, or wetlands delineation. Site specific conditions can vary significantly from the generalized soil mapping units used by the USDA. Always confirm with on the ground professionals before building or making major investment decisions.
What is the Know Your Lot tool? Know Your Lot is a free interactive report that pulls soil, terrain, drainage, likely tree species, and sun exposure data for any property in the United States. Enter an address or GPS coordinates and it combines USDA Soil Survey, USGS elevation, and USDA forest productivity data into one report. It is built for lot owners at The Woods at Duck Harbor and useful for any landowner.
What data sources does the soil report use? The report draws on three federal sources: the USDA Soil Survey (SSURGO) for soil series, drainage class, texture, and depth to bedrock; the USGS 3DEP National Elevation Dataset for elevation, slope, and aspect; and USDA forest productivity data for likely tree species. Addresses are located using the US Census Geocoder.
Is the Know Your Lot report a substitute for a perc test or survey? No. The report is informational only and is not a substitute for a professional soil test, site survey, wetlands delineation, or engineering assessment. Soil mapping units are generalized, so site-specific conditions can vary. Always confirm with qualified professionals before building or making land-use, septic, or planting decisions.
Can I use Know Your Lot for a property outside Pennsylvania? Yes. The tool works for any property in the United States because it uses national USDA and USGS datasets. Rural addresses sometimes do not geocode well; if an address is not found, you can enter latitude and longitude directly, which you can copy from Google Maps by right-clicking the property.
How do owners use the soil and terrain report? Common uses include pre-purchase due diligence on a candidate lot before scheduling a perc test, planning a building site, driveway, or septic field on an undeveloped lot, choosing tree species and pollinator plantings after canopy loss, and understanding why some areas of a lot stay wet or freeze first.