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Botkins, Ohio
Inside Botkins' city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 89% of mapped land, higher than 77% of Ohio cities. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 20%.
That water-table share is below Shelby County's 94%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 427 homes, 83% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1959.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Shelby County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 2 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Basement waterproofing in Botkins
Basement waterproofing in Botkins: a shallow water table limits basements on 89% of Botkins' mapped land, more than in 77% of Ohio cities.
About 400 of Botkins' 427 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Botkins city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 19.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 89.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 94.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 2.5% |
| Mapped soil | 816 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.8% by land area here, and 3% 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.
On 89% of Botkins' mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 95% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Shelby County
0% of Shelby 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 Botkins. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45306 | 88% | 0 | $0 |
| 45302 | 12% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Botkins
| Housing units | 427 |
| Median year built | 1959 |
| Built before 1980 | 83% |
| Built 2000 or later | 5% |
| Owner-occupied | 75% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $218,400 |
| Single-family detached | 84% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anna | 4 mi | 22% | 97% |
| Kettlersville | 4 mi | 40% | 99% |
| Jackson Center | 7 mi | 30% | 99% |
| New Knoxville | 8 mi | 32% | over 99% |
| Wapakoneta | 8 mi | 18% | 72% |
| Port Jefferson | 10 mi | 2% | 30% |
| New Bremen | 11 mi | 27% | 99% |
| Minster | 11 mi | 34% | over 99% |
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