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 →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.
UC Cooperative Extension, Alameda County office
Hayward, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Amador County office (UCCE Central Sierra)
Jackson, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Butte County office
Oroville, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Colusa County office
Colusa, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Contra Costa County office
Concord, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Del Norte County office
Crescent City, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, El Dorado County office - Western Slope (UCCE Central Sierra)
Placerville, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Fresno County office
Fresno, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Glenn County office
Orland, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Humboldt County office
Eureka, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Imperial County office
Holtville, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Inyo-Mono Counties office
Bishop, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Kern County office
Bakersfield, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Kings County office
Hanford, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Lake County office
Lakeport, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Lassen County office
Susanville, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Los Angeles County office
Alhambra, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Madera County office
Madera, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Marin County office
Novato, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Mariposa County office
Mariposa, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Mendocino County office
Ukiah, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Merced County office
Merced, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Modoc County office
Alturas, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Monterey County office
Salinas, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Napa County office
Napa, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Nevada County office
Grass Valley, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Orange County office
Irvine, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Placer County office
Auburn, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Plumas-Sierra Counties office
Quincy, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Riverside County office (Blythe)
Blythe, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Riverside County office (Main, Riverside)
Riverside, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Riverside County office (Palm Desert)
Palm Desert, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Sacramento County office (Capitol Corridor)
Sacramento, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, San Benito County office
Hollister, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, San Bernardino County office
Highland, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, San Diego County office (Kearny Mesa)
San Diego, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, San Joaquin County office
Stockton, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, San Luis Obispo County office
San Luis Obispo, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, San Mateo-San Francisco Counties office
Half Moon Bay, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Santa Clara County office
San Jose, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Santa Cruz County office
Watsonville, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Shasta County office
Redding, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Siskiyou County office
Yreka, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Solano County office (Capitol Corridor)
Fairfield, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Sonoma County office
Santa Rosa, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Stanislaus County office
Modesto, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Sutter-Yuba Counties office
Yuba City, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Tehama County office
Red Bluff, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Trinity County office
Weaverville, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Tulare County office
Tulare, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Tuolumne County office (UCCE Central Sierra)
Sonora, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Ventura County office
Camarillo, CA
UC Cooperative Extension, Yolo County office (Capitol Corridor)
Woodland, CA
Not your county? Find your local office in the full California directory.
How it works
- 01
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.
- 02
Send it in
Mail your sample to the lab with its completed form. County offices can help if you get stuck.
- 03
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.
Free to download on iPhone and Android.
Common questions
- 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.