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Elida, Ohio
Inside Elida's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 74% of mapped land, higher than 58% of Ohio cities. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 17%.
That water-table share is below Allen County's 93%. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45807 overlapping the city. Of its 857 homes, 55% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1971.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Allen 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 Elida
Basement waterproofing in Elida: a shallow water table limits basements on 74% of Elida's mapped land, more than in 58% of Ohio cities, and the ZIP code overlapping Elida logged 1 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
In Allen County, 14% of the 37 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 800 of Elida's 857 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Elida city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 17.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 73.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 80.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.4% |
| Urban land, not rated | 15.2% |
| Mapped soil | 746 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.0% by land area here, and under 1% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 17% of the mapped land.
On 74% of Elida's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 81% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Allen County
0% of Allen 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 Elida. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45807 | 100% | 1 | $13,704 |
Homes in Elida
| Housing units | 857 |
| Median year built | 1971 |
| Built before 1980 | 55% |
| Built 2000 or later | 8% |
| Owner-occupied | 79% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $220,900 |
| Single-family detached | 94% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lima | 6 mi | 12% | 60% |
| Cairo | 7 mi | 21% | over 99% |
| Delphos | 8 mi | 80% | 95% |
| Spencerville | 10 mi | 29% | 99% |
| Fort Jennings | 10 mi | 71% | 96% |
| Cridersville | 10 mi | 23% | 90% |
| Columbus Grove | 12 mi | 49% | 83% |
| Buckland | 12 mi | 16% | 79% |
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