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Fort Jennings, Ohio
Inside Fort Jennings' city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 96% of mapped land, the 2nd-highest of 15 cities in Putnam County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 71%.
That water-table share is close to Putnam County's 96%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45844 overlapping the city. Of its 230 homes, 70% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1966.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Putnam 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 Fort Jennings
Basement waterproofing in Fort Jennings: a shallow water table limits basements on 96% of Fort Jennings' mapped land, more than in 86% of Ohio cities.
About 200 of Fort Jennings' 230 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Fort Jennings city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 71.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 95.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 95.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 7.6% |
| Mapped soil | 365 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Hoytville | 62% | 99% |
| Nappanee | 20% | n/a |
| Sloan | 6% | n/a |
| Haskins | 4% | n/a |
| St. Clair | 3% | n/a |
| Mermill | 1% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.2% by land area here, and 8% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 71% of the mapped land.
On 96% of Fort Jennings' mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 96% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Putnam County
0% of Putnam 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 Fort Jennings. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45844 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Fort Jennings
| Housing units | 230 |
| Median year built | 1966 |
| Built before 1980 | 70% |
| Built 2000 or later | 16% |
| Owner-occupied | 83% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $220,600 |
| Single-family detached | 81% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ottoville | 3 mi | 57% | 83% |
| Delphos | 5 mi | 80% | 95% |
| Cloverdale | 8 mi | 93% | 98% |
| Kalida | 8 mi | 39% | 90% |
| Middle Point | 8 mi | 74% | 97% |
| Elida | 10 mi | 17% | 74% |
| Dupont | 10 mi | 34% | 93% |
| Venedocia | 12 mi | 29% | 100% |
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