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Lafayette, Ohio
Inside Lafayette's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 99% of mapped land, the 3rd-highest of 9 cities in Allen County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 14%.
That water-table share is above Allen County's 93%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45854 overlapping the city. Of its 138 homes, 75% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1939 or earlier.
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 Lafayette
Basement waterproofing in Lafayette: a shallow water table limits basements on 99% of Lafayette's mapped land, more than in 93% of Ohio cities.
In Allen County, 14% of the 37 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 100 of Lafayette's 138 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Lafayette city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 14.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 99.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 99.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.5% |
| Mapped soil | 149 acres |
What the numbers mean here
On 99% of Lafayette'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 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 Lafayette. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45854 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Lafayette
| Housing units | 138 |
| Median year built | 1939 or earlier |
| Built before 1980 | 75% |
| Built 2000 or later | 19% |
| Owner-occupied | 78% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $121,300 |
| Single-family detached | 97% |
Nearby cities
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