HomeOhioShelby CountyFort Loramie
Fort Loramie, Ohio
Inside Fort Loramie's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 99% of mapped land, the 4th-highest of 9 cities in Shelby County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 30%, the 3rd-highest of 9 cities in Shelby County.
That water-table share is close to Shelby County's 94%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45845 overlapping the city. Of its 550 homes, 48% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1982.
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 1 overlapping ZIP
of homes built before 1980
Basement waterproofing in Fort Loramie
Basement waterproofing in Fort Loramie: a shallow water table limits basements on 99% of Fort Loramie's mapped land, more than in 92% of Ohio cities.
About 500 of Fort Loramie's 550 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Fort Loramie city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 30.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 98.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 98.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 2.2% |
| Mapped soil | 662 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.8% by land area here, and 2% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 30% of the mapped land.
On 99% of Fort Loramie's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 99% 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 Fort Loramie. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45845 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Fort Loramie
| Housing units | 550 |
| Median year built | 1982 |
| Built before 1980 | 48% |
| Built 2000 or later | 23% |
| Owner-occupied | 83% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $276,500 |
| Single-family detached | 85% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minster | 3 mi | 34% | over 99% |
| New Bremen | 6 mi | 27% | 99% |
| Osgood | 7 mi | 34% | 100% |
| Yorkshire | 7 mi | 32% | 100% |
| Russia | 8 mi | 31% | 99% |
| Kettlersville | 9 mi | 40% | 99% |
| Chickasaw | 9 mi | 19% | 93% |
| Versailles | 10 mi | 18% | 89% |
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