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Defiance, Ohio
Inside Defiance's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 81% of mapped land, the 3rd-highest of 4 cities in Defiance County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 56%, the highest of 4 cities in Defiance County.
That water-table share is below Defiance County's 92%. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 43512 overlapping the city. Of its 8,164 homes, 72% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1965.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Defiance 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 Defiance
Basement waterproofing in Defiance: a shallow water table limits basements on 81% of Defiance's mapped land, more than in 66% of Ohio cities, and the ZIP code overlapping Defiance logged 1 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
About 5,800 of Defiance's 8,164 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Defiance city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 56.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 81.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 84.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 47.7% |
| Urban land, not rated | 2.2% |
| Mapped soil | 8,556 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.0% by land area here, and 48% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 56% of the mapped land.
On 81% of Defiance's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 85% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Defiance County
0% of Defiance 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 Defiance. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43512 | 100% | 1 | $0 |
Homes in Defiance
| Housing units | 8,164 |
| Median year built | 1965 |
| Built before 1980 | 72% |
| Built 2000 or later | 13% |
| Owner-occupied | 69% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $139,900 |
| Single-family detached | 72% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 9 mi | 23% | 93% |
| Sherwood | 10 mi | 51% | 92% |
| Ney | 11 mi | 16% | 62% |
| New Bavaria | 12 mi | 83% | 95% |
| Holgate | 12 mi | 91% | 97% |
| Cecil | 13 mi | 97% | 98% |
| Oakwood | 13 mi | 92% | 95% |
| Continental | 13 mi | 93% | 94% |
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