Where can I get a soil test in California?

California's public soil testing is run through UC Davis Analytical Laboratory. Many county extension offices (listed on this page) stock the sample forms and can help you submit. National mail-in labs like Logan Labs, Ward Laboratories, and Waypoint Analytical are established alternatives.

How much does a soil test cost in California?

Fees vary by lab and by which package you choose (basic pH plus phosphorus and potassium, versus expanded panels with organic matter and micronutrients). Check UC Davis Analytical Laboratory for current pricing before you send a sample; the page linked here is the authority for its own fees.

How do I turn my California soil test into a fertilizer plan?

Enter your report values in the Lawn Dominator app and pick your lab so units and extraction method are handled correctly, and it compares your numbers against turf sufficiency targets and helps build the fertilizer plan for your grass type.

California · university & extension labs

Where to get a soil test in California

A soil test is how you stop guessing at fertilizer and fix the one thing your lawn actually needs. In California, the public program below tests homeowner samples and interprets the results for local soils.

California state lab

UC Davis Analytical Laboratory

University analytical lab with soil testing services.

Visit the lab & sampling instructions

Drop-off

County drop-off & extension offices.

County extension offices across California hand out sample forms and can walk you through submitting to the lab. 53 of the most populous counties are listed below.

Not your county? Find your local office in the full California directory.

The steps

How it works.

Get a form and sample the way your lab says to
Pick up a form at a county office or download it from UC Davis Analytical Laboratory. Where you pull cores and how you mix them decides whether the report means anything, so follow the lab's instructions exactly.
Send it in
Mail your sample to the lab with its completed form. County offices can help if you get stuck.
Turn the report into a plan
When results come back, the numbers only matter if they change what you put down. Enter them in the app and it builds the plan.

The app · soil report analyzer

Got your California report back? Analyze it.

Enter your report values in the Lawn Dominator app and pick your lab, and it handles the messy part: units and extraction methods differ by lab, so your numbers get compared against turf targets that match how your lab measured them. Then it helps build the fertilizer plan for your grass type and checks timing against your live soil temperature.

Download for iPhone

Get it on Android

Free to download on iPhone and Android.

Common questions

Before you ask.

Where can I get a soil test in California?: California's public soil testing is run through UC Davis Analytical Laboratory. Many county extension offices (listed on this page) stock the sample forms and can help you submit. National mail-in labs like Logan Labs, Ward Laboratories, and Waypoint Analytical are established alternatives.
How much does a soil test cost in California?: Fees vary by lab and by which package you choose (basic pH plus phosphorus and potassium, versus expanded panels with organic matter and micronutrients). Check UC Davis Analytical Laboratory for current pricing before you send a sample; the page linked here is the authority for its own fees.
How do I turn my California soil test into a fertilizer plan?: Enter your report values in the Lawn Dominator app and pick your lab so units and extraction method are handled correctly, and it compares your numbers against turf sufficiency targets and helps build the fertilizer plan for your grass type.

Looking for another state? See the national map of soil test labs. UC Davis Analytical Laboratory is the authority for its own test menu, sampling instructions, fees, and result interpretation.