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Madison, Ohio
Inside Madison's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 76% of mapped land, higher than 60% of Ohio cities. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 0%.
That water-table share is close to Lake County's 73%. FEMA's flood data list 5 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 44057 overlapping the city. Of its 1,432 homes, 57% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1976.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Lake 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 Madison
Basement waterproofing in Madison: a shallow water table limits basements on 76% of Madison's mapped land, more than in 60% of Ohio cities, and the ZIP code overlapping Madison logged 5 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
In Lake County, 35% of the 23 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 1,200 of Madison's 1,432 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Madison city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 75.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 89.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 3,258 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Conneaut | 25% | 99% |
| Platea | 17% | n/a |
| Painesville | 13% | n/a |
| Pierpont | 7% | n/a |
| Tyner | 6% | n/a |
| Otisville | 5% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
On 76% of Madison's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 89% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Lake County
0% of Lake 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 Madison. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 44057 | 100% | 5 | $81,892 |
Homes in Madison
| Housing units | 1,432 |
| Median year built | 1976 |
| Built before 1980 | 57% |
| Built 2000 or later | 24% |
| Owner-occupied | 91% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $207,100 |
| Single-family detached | 84% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Perry | 4 mi | 0% | 68% |
| Perry | 5 mi | 0% | 73% |
| Geneva | 6 mi | 0% | 58% |
| Geneva-on-the-Lake | 8 mi | 0% | 80% |
| Painesville | 11 mi | 0% | 57% |
| Fairport Harbor | 11 mi | 0% | 59% |
| Grand River | 12 mi | 0% | 66% |
| Rock Creek | 13 mi | 4% | 96% |
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