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Forest, Ohio
Inside Forest's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 98% of mapped land, the 5th-highest of 8 cities in Hardin County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 22%, the 4th-highest of 8 cities in Hardin County.
That water-table share is close to Hardin County's 97%. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45843 overlapping the city. Of its 605 homes, 79% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1953.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Hardin 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 Forest
Basement waterproofing in Forest: a shallow water table limits basements on 98% of Forest's mapped land, more than in 91% of Ohio cities, and the ZIP code overlapping Forest logged 2 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
About 500 of Forest's 605 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Forest city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 22.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 98.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 98.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 1.3% |
| Mapped soil | 1,069 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.8% by land area here, and 1% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 22% of the mapped land.
On 98% of Forest's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 98% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Hardin County
0% of Hardin 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 Forest. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45843 | 100% | 2 | $29,277 |
Homes in Forest
| Housing units | 605 |
| Median year built | 1953 |
| Built before 1980 | 79% |
| Built 2000 or later | 6% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $112,700 |
| Single-family detached | 84% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patterson | 2 mi | 10% | 100% |
| Wharton | 5 mi | 43% | over 99% |
| Kirby | 5 mi | 44% | 100% |
| Dunkirk | 7 mi | 15% | 76% |
| Mount Blanchard | 7 mi | 6% | 88% |
| Arlington | 10 mi | 39% | 99% |
| Marseilles | 10 mi | 6% | 96% |
| Carey | 12 mi | 34% | 84% |
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