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Lakewood, Ohio
Inside Lakewood's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 17% of mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 0%.
That water-table share is below Cuyahoga County's 51%. USDA doesn't rate the 40% of mapped land classed as urban land, so these shares are floors. FEMA's flood data list 16 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 44107 overlapping the city. Of its 29,105 homes, 94% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1939 or earlier.
Data as of November 3, 2026 · sources · in Cuyahoga 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 Lakewood
Basement waterproofing in Lakewood: a shallow water table limits basements on 17% of Lakewood's mapped land, and the ZIP code overlapping Lakewood logged 16 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
The city requires a permit for the work.
In Cuyahoga County, 47% of the 90 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 10,300 of Lakewood's 29,105 homes are detached houses.
| City permit | Required. Lakewood's permit table lists waterproofing and water-controlling work as needing a permit, with a city dye test of the sewer connection. (City of Lakewood, Department of Housing and Building, read October 2, 2026) |
| Contractor registration | All contractors and subcontractors must register with the city before starting work. (City of Lakewood, Department of Housing and Building) |
| Prices | Cost guide ranges compared |
Soil under Lakewood city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 17.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 25.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 40.2% |
| Mapped soil | 3,590 acres |
What the numbers mean here
On 17% of Lakewood's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Lakewood covers 5.55 square miles of land and counts 29,105 housing units, about 5,239 per square mile.
44% of Lakewood's occupied homes are owner-occupied, and the median owner-occupied home is valued at $262,200; 2% of all homes in the city date from 2000 or later.
The largest soil series under Lakewood is Allis, on 7% of the mapped land, followed by Oshtemo at 4%.
Clay swell, measured as linear extensibility, averages 3.2% across Lakewood's 3,590 mapped acres.
Drought in Cuyahoga County
0% of Cuyahoga County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the November 3, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Lakewood. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 44107 | 96% | 16 | $159,151 |
Homes in Lakewood
| Housing units | 29,105 |
| Median year built | 1939 or earlier |
| Built before 1980 | 94% |
| Built 2000 or later | 2% |
| Owner-occupied | 44% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $262,200 |
| Single-family detached | 35% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky River | 3 mi | 1% | 35% |
| Linndale | 3 mi | 0% | 20% |
| Fairview Park | 4 mi | 0% | 29% |
| Brooklyn | 4 mi | 0% | 43% |
| Brook Park | 6 mi | 0% | 39% |
| Cleveland | 6 mi | under 1% | 17% |
| Bay Village | 7 mi | 0% | 51% |
| Westlake | 7 mi | under 1% | 75% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (November 3, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status