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Bedford, Ohio
Inside Bedford's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 49% of mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 3%.
That water-table share is close to Cuyahoga County's 51%. USDA doesn't rate the 30% of mapped land classed as urban land, so these shares are floors. FEMA's flood data list 7 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 44146 overlapping the city. Of its 7,139 homes, 79% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1958.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Cuyahoga County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP
of homes built before 1980
Basement waterproofing in Bedford
Basement waterproofing in Bedford: a shallow water table limits basements on 49% of Bedford's mapped land, and the ZIP code overlapping Bedford logged 7 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
In Cuyahoga County, 47% of the 90 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 4,400 of Bedford's 7,139 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Bedford city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 2.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 48.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 58.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 2.9% |
| Urban land, not rated | 30.5% |
| Mapped soil | 3,450 acres |
What the numbers mean here
On 49% of Bedford's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 58% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Cuyahoga County
0% of Cuyahoga County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Bedford. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 44146 | 100% | 7 | $69,354 |
Homes in Bedford
| Housing units | 7,139 |
| Median year built | 1958 |
| Built before 1980 | 79% |
| Built 2000 or later | 4% |
| Owner-occupied | 59% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $135,200 |
| Single-family detached | 61% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford Heights | 2 mi | 0% | 38% |
| Maple Heights | 2 mi | under 1% | 37% |
| Walton Hills | 2 mi | 1% | 56% |
| Oakwood | 2 mi | 0% | 67% |
| North Randall | 3 mi | 0% | 26% |
| Warrensville Heights | 3 mi | 0% | 36% |
| Northfield | 4 mi | 0% | 65% |
| Valley View | 4 mi | 5% | 32% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status