Polk, Ohio
Inside Polk's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 97% of mapped land, the highest of 9 cities in Ashland County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on under 1%.
That water-table share is above Ashland County's 63%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 44866 overlapping the city. Of its 133 homes, 82% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1939 or earlier.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Ashland 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 Polk
Basement waterproofing in Polk: a shallow water table limits basements on 97% of Polk's mapped land, more than in 88% of Ohio cities.
About 100 of Polk's 133 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Polk city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 97.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 97.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 669 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Centerburg | 41% | over 99% |
| Bennington | 37% | 99% |
| Condit | 5% | n/a |
| Cardington | 4% | 99% |
| Wadsworth | 3% | n/a |
| Shoals | 3% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
On 97% of Polk's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 97% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Ashland County
0% of Ashland 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 Polk. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 44866 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Polk
| Housing units | 133 |
| Median year built | 1939 or earlier |
| Built before 1980 | 82% |
| Built 2000 or later | 8% |
| Owner-occupied | 88% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $132,700 |
| Single-family detached | 93% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Salem | 6 mi | under 1% | 92% |
| Bailey Lakes | 8 mi | 9% | 71% |
| Ashland | 8 mi | 1% | 81% |
| Congress | 8 mi | 0% | 99% |
| Savannah | 8 mi | under 1% | 68% |
| Jeromesville | 10 mi | 0% | 39% |
| Spencer | 11 mi | 3% | 87% |
| Burbank | 11 mi | under 1% | 62% |
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