Soils normally have low levels of heavy metals. However, in industrial, agricultural and municipal wastes areas heavy metals concentrations may be higher. Extreme amounts of heavy metals can be harmful to both human and to the fauna and flora. This study was transacted to investigate the level and type of heavy metals such as lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in the saturated sandy soil. In this paper, the permittivity of contaminated soil by lead and cadmium was measured at the frequency 1 kHz�1000 kHz using LCR meter. The results indicate that both dielectric constant and loss factor of heavy metal contaminated soil decrease with increasing frequency. Dielectric constant and loss factor of soil could be used to determine type and level of heavy metal in soil. Complex permittivity of soil using parallel plate capacitor is a promising tool for evaluation of soil pollution by heavy metals. © 2016 Taylor & Francis Group, London.