In short
- Roughly 57% of Marion County's mapped acreage is rated "not limited" for small buildings and 34% "very limited".
- The top reason for "very limited" is depth to saturated zone (a high seasonal water table), on about 89% of those acres.
- About 51% of the county is well or excessively drained; about 41% is somewhat poorly, poorly or very poorly drained.
- This is a county-scale survey, not a site test for your parcel.
On this page
Before you price a barn, it helps to know what your ground is likely to do. This guide summarizes the USDA soil survey for horse barn site soils in Marion County, Florida, as plain numbers. It cannot say anything about one parcel, but it shows what to ask a builder about.
We are a referral service that connects visitors with independent local builders; we do not build, test soil or engineer.
What the USDA soil survey says about barn sites in Marion County
Shares are of about 751,400 mapped acres in survey area FL608, weighted by each soil component's share of its map unit.
Which rating we used. The survey has no horse-barn rating. Of the engineering ratings it publishes for this county, "ENG - Small Commercial Buildings" is the closest match to a barn on a slab or a post-frame building, so we used it. Treat it as a rough guide to building conditions, not a barn rating.
How well drained is the ground?
Drainage class describes how fast water naturally leaves a soil. Marion County splits almost in half between soils that shed water and soils that hold it.
Share of county acres by drainage class (USDA component drainage class).
Why are so many acres "very limited"?
For the acres rated very limited, we counted the reasons NRCS lists. A soil can have more than one reason, so the shares add to more than 100%.
| Limiting reason | Acres | Share of very limited |
|---|---|---|
| Depth to saturated zone | 227,831 | 89.4% |
| Shrink-swell | 67,282 | 26.4% |
| Ponding | 52,055 | 20.4% |
| Slope | 38,878 | 15.2% |
| Subsidence | 19,767 | 7.8% |
| Organic matter content | 19,219 | 7.5% |
| Flooding | 6,200 | 2.4% |
Acres of the 254,967 very-limited acres. Depth to hard bedrock appears on about 39 acres and is left out.
Which soils cover the most ground?
| Soil series | Natural drainage | Small-building rating | Share of county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Candler | Excessively drained | Not limited | 26.9% |
| Arredondo | Well drained | Not limited | 9.8% |
| Blichton | Poorly drained | Very limited | 5.0% |
| Kendrick | Well drained | Not limited | 4.9% |
| Sparr | Somewhat poorly drained | Not limited | 3.8% |
| Flemington | Poorly drained | Very limited | 3.4% |
| Eureka | Poorly drained | Very limited | 3.0% |
| Pomona | Poorly drained | Very limited | 2.9% |
The rating shown is the most common one for that series. Within a series, ratings can differ by map unit: Candler is about 90% not limited and 10% very limited.
What this means when you shop for a barn site
A wet-season high water table is the main thing the survey flags. It points to conversations about fill, grading, stall floors and where roof runoff goes. See how drainage fits the rest of the design in our guide to horse barn design for the Florida climate, and base and drainage for arenas in riding arena construction in Ocala.
- Has anyone evaluated the soil and water table on this parcel, and what did they find?
- Does the quote include fill, grading and drainage, or are they excluded as site work?
- Is any part of the parcel in a flood zone or low and wet in the rainy season?
- Where will the well, septic, manure storage and barn sit relative to each other?
This is not a site test. The county survey cannot tell you what is under your barn pad. A geotechnical or site evaluation on your parcel, and the county permit process, decide what can be built. Start with our Marion County horse barn permits guide. The soil survey is also not a sinkhole map; to check sinkhole risk, start with the Florida Geological Survey.
If you want quotes, use the form below and say what you plan to build and where. Independent local builders may reach out. Compare scope using our horse barn cost guide.
Sources
- USDA NRCS SSURGO via Soil Data Access, queried 2026-10-25. Marion County Area, Florida (survey area FL608), interpretation "ENG - Small Commercial Buildings" and component drainage class. Acres are map unit acres times component percent. Public domain.
- Florida Geological Survey, for any sinkhole question. We cite no sinkhole figures.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the county soil survey to decide whether my parcel is buildable?
No. The survey is a county-scale map. Map units are broad, and one parcel can hold several soils with different ratings. A site evaluation or geotechnical report on your own parcel, plus the county permit process, decides what can be built and how.
What does 'very limited' mean for a barn?
It is an NRCS rating for the soil as mapped, using the rule 'Small Commercial Buildings'. It means the soil has features, here mostly a seasonally high water table, that make a standard building design harder or costlier without design work such as fill, drainage or a different foundation. It does not mean you cannot build.
Does this data show sinkholes?
No. The soil survey is not a sinkhole map and we make no sinkhole claims from it. If sinkholes are a concern on a parcel, check with the Florida Geological Survey and ask a geotechnical professional.
Where does the data come from?
USDA NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO), survey area FL608 (Marion County Area, Florida), queried through Soil Data Access on 2026-10-25. It is public domain. Our script is tools/feed/sda-marion.mjs in the project; it recomputes every number on this page.