Kootenai County, Idaho
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 2% of Kootenai County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 10%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 11 flood losses here since 2016. 30% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1996.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Kootenai County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 1.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 9.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 88.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 1.7% |
| Mapped soil | 827,350 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Vassar | 5% | n/a |
| Kootenai | 4% | n/a |
| Huckle | 4% | n/a |
| McCrosket | 4% | n/a |
| Ardenvoir | 3% | n/a |
| Bonner | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas ID606 (2025-08-27), ID670 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 28.11 in, 5.13 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 33.24 in.
USDA rates 88% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 2% and a shallow water table on 10% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Kootenai County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 52 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 48 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 18.7% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
11 flood losses since 2016, $105,618 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 6.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 6 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 33.24 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 28.11 in (-5.13) |
| 2025 | 27.12 in (-6.12) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1996: 46.68 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1929: 19.42 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BAYVIEW MODEL BASIN (21 mi away) | 2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 80,260 |
| Median year built | 1996 |
| Built before 1980 | 30% |
| Built 2000 or later | 43% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $518,700 |
| Single-family detached | 74% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benewah County, ID | 32 mi | 1% | 40% |
| Spokane County, WA | 35 mi | 3% | 16% |
| Shoshone County, ID | 43 mi | under 1% | 4% |
| Bonner County, ID | 44 mi | under 1% | 14% |
| Latah County, ID | 60 mi | 5% | 43% |
| Pend Oreille County, WA | 65 mi | 0% | 11% |
| Whitman County, WA | 68 mi | 1% | 15% |
| Sanders County, MT | 69 mi | 2% | 3% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 27, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status