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Plain City, Ohio
Inside Plain City's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 90% of mapped land, the 5th-highest of 6 cities in Madison County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 38%, the 2nd-highest of 6 cities in Madison County.
That water-table share is close to Madison County's 94%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 43064 overlapping the city. Of its 1,612 homes, 39% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1995.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Madison 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 Plain City
Basement waterproofing in Plain City: a shallow water table limits basements on 90% of Plain City's mapped land, more than in 78% of Ohio cities.
About 1,200 of Plain City's 1,612 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Plain City city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 38.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 89.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 98.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 3.9% |
| Mapped soil | 2,882 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.8% by land area here, and 4% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 38% of the mapped land.
On 90% of Plain City's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 98% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Madison County
0% of Madison 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 Plain City. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43064 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Plain City
| Housing units | 1,612 |
| Median year built | 1995 |
| Built before 1980 | 39% |
| Built 2000 or later | 40% |
| Owner-occupied | 82% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $368,500 |
| Single-family detached | 77% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unionville Center | 4 mi | 16% | 50% |
| Dublin | 7 mi | 26% | 79% |
| Hilliard | 8 mi | 31% | 88% |
| Shawnee Hills | 8 mi | 6% | 94% |
| Marysville | 9 mi | 24% | 83% |
| Milford Center | 10 mi | 39% | 93% |
| Powell | 11 mi | 12% | 71% |
| West Jefferson | 11 mi | 38% | 93% |
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