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Many states are now using soil and landscape characteristics to assess site suitability for on-site wastewater management systems. This paper discusses the soil morphological evaluation systems of two different states. In Georgia, this assessment is based on identification of soil series. The major advantages of the use of soil series in the assessment is ease of communication between soil scientists, regulators, and developers; the ability to produce large scale soil maps that are used for subdivision approval; and the ability to reflect differences in mineralogy and other properties that are less readily communicated through morphological descriptions alone. The major disadvantage is the lack of soil series for every combination of soil properties identified in the field which results in use of variants to describe and interpret the soil that may be misinterpreted by the regulatory agency. In Missouri, the assessment is based on soil morphological descriptions which produce loading rates based on texture and structure groupings for each specific horizon. Coupled with redoximorphic features and depths to restrictive layers, groupings are the basis for the spatial layout of the absorption system. A major advantage in the Missouri system is being able to capture the "variants" within the soil series. A major disadvantage is a greater difficulty of communicating among the non-soil science professionals.