Douglas County, Nevada
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 20% of Douglas County's mapped land, a higher share than 70% of US counties and the 4th highest of 17 Nevada counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 9%.
24.6% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 31 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 31% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1990.
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 Douglas County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 20.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 9.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 85.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 20.8% |
| Mapped soil | 475,321 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Creek | 5% | n/a |
| Duco | 4% | n/a |
| Loomer | 3% | n/a |
| Erastra | 2% | n/a |
| Boondock | 2% | n/a |
| Eaglerock | 2% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas CA693 (2025-09-02), NV773 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.9% by land area here, and 21% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 20% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 24.6% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 20% of Douglas County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 16.26 in, 0.44 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 15.82 in.
USDA rates 85% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
24.6% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 13 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 24.6% of its area, in 8 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 | 24.6% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
31 flood losses since 2016, $848,116 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 15. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 10% slabs, 80% crawl spaces, 10% elevated.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 15 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 15.82 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 16.26 in (+0.44) |
| 2025 | 18.29 in (+2.47) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2017: 30.23 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2013: 6.13 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MINDEN (10 mi away) | 1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 24,825 |
| Median year built | 1990 |
| Built before 1980 | 31% |
| Built 2000 or later | 29% |
| Owner-occupied | 79% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $615,400 |
| Single-family detached | 77% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carson City, NV | 19 mi | 11% | 5% |
| Lyon County, NV | 23 mi | 11% | 8% |
| Alpine County, CA | 24 mi | 2% | 7% |
| Storey County, NV | 37 mi | 30% | under 1% |
| El Dorado County, CA | 50 mi | 1% | 2% |
| Placer County, CA | 60 mi | 7% | 4% |
| Tuolumne County, CA | 64 mi | 1% | 2% |
| Amador County, CA | 65 mi | 1% | 3% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 2, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status