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Kelleys Island, Ohio
Inside Kelleys Island's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 40% of mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 0%.
That water-table share is below Erie County's 69%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 43438 overlapping the city. Of its 1,009 homes, 42% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1987.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Erie 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 Kelleys Island
Basement waterproofing in Kelleys Island: a shallow water table limits basements on 40% of Kelleys Island's mapped land.
In Erie County, 54% of the 46 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 900 of Kelleys Island's 1,009 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Kelleys Island city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 40.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 74.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 2,744 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Castalia | 25% | n/a |
| Bennington | 20% | 99% |
| Milton | 7% | n/a |
| Elliott | 5% | n/a |
| Cardington | 5% | 99% |
| Pewamo | 4% | 99% |
What the numbers mean here
On 40% of Kelleys Island's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 74% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Erie County
0% of Erie 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 Kelleys Island. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43438 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Kelleys Island
| Housing units | 1,009 |
| Median year built | 1987 |
| Built before 1980 | 42% |
| Built 2000 or later | 28% |
| Owner-occupied | 92% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $346,400 |
| Single-family detached | 84% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marblehead | 5 mi | 1% | 15% |
| Put-in-Bay | 7 mi | 0% | 10% |
| Sandusky | 10 mi | 33% | 74% |
| Bay View | 11 mi | 95% | 98% |
| Port Clinton | 14 mi | 53% | 62% |
| Castalia | 15 mi | 0% | 62% |
| Huron | 16 mi | 0% | 82% |
| Milan | 22 mi | 0% | 68% |
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