PercTallyTank gallons, trench length and what the perc test really decides.

How much does a septic drain field cost in Dayton, OH?

A septic drain field replacement in Dayton, OH
$19,550
1,500 ft² of drain field · typical range $12,031 – $37,596
Typical total$13.03 per ft² of drain field$19,550
Range you should see in bidsthree bids on the same scope normally land inside this$12,031 – $37,596
Labor portion55% of the job — this is the part that moves by city$10,753
Material portion45% — bought at national prices$8,798
Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners pay near DaytonBLS does not publish a metro figure for septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners near Dayton, OH, so this is the Ohio state average, SOC 47-4071$53,750/yr
U.S. mean for the same tradeSOC 47-4071$53,500/yr
Versus the national pricetrade pay here runs +0.5% against the U.S. mean+$50

Notes

  • Where the number comes from. The national price for a septic drain field replacement is $13.00 per ft² of drain field — drain field replacement pricing published for 2026, $8–$25 per ft² of field. Labor is about 55% of that. Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners near Dayton, OH average $53,750 a year against a U.S. mean of $53,500 — a factor of 1.005 — so the labor half is scaled by that and the material half is not. Source: BLS does not publish a metro figure for septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners near Dayton, OH, so this is the Ohio state average, SOC 47-4071.
  • This one falls back to a wider average. BLS did not publish a metro-level wage for this trade near Dayton, OH, so the figure above is a state average. It is still the right order of magnitude, but a local bid carries more weight here than it would in a large metro where the survey has more responses.
  • What is in the price: excavation, gravel or chamber media, perforated pipe, the distribution box, backfill, grading and labor.
  • What is not: the tank itself, a new perc test, engineered plans, a pump chamber if the site needs one, and county permits. These are the lines that turn a $19,550 quote into a $24,438 invoice, so ask about each one before signing.
  • Use this as a bid check, not a quote. It prices an average job in average condition. Difficult access, the state of what is being replaced, the season, and a crew booked out three months all move the real number, and none of them are in a per-unit average.

a septic drain field replacement in Dayton, OH

$19,550 is the typical number, and three bids on the same scope normally land between $12,031 and $37,596.

That is $50 more than the same job priced at the national average.

Why the city changes the number

About 55% of this job is labor — $10,753 of the $19,550 above. Labor is the only part that moves locally; a bundle of material costs what it costs wherever it is nailed down.

Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners near Dayton average $53,750 a year, against a U.S. mean of $53,500. That is a factor of 1.005, so the labor half is scaled by it and the material half is not.

Source: BLS does not publish a metro figure for septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners near Dayton, OH, so this is the Ohio state average, SOC 47-4071.

What the quote should include

The lines that turn a quote into an invoice

Ask about each of them before you sign. On a job this size they are the difference between $19,550 and something a quarter higher.

Use it as a bid check, not a quote

This prices an average job in average condition. Access, the state of what is being replaced, the season, and a crew booked out three months all move the real number, and none of them are in a national average.

If a bid lands outside $12,031 – $37,596, that is not automatically wrong — but it is the question worth asking out loud.

Nearby sizes

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