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Port Clinton, Ohio
Inside Port Clinton's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 62% of mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 53%, the 3rd-highest of 8 cities in Ottawa County.
That water-table share is below Ottawa County's 75%. FEMA's flood data list 62 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 43452 overlapping the city. Of its 3,711 homes, 65% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1960.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Ottawa 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 Port Clinton
Basement waterproofing in Port Clinton: a shallow water table limits basements on 62% of Port Clinton's mapped land, and the ZIP code overlapping Port Clinton logged 62 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
In Ottawa County, 9% of the 75 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 2,100 of Port Clinton's 3,711 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Port Clinton city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 52.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 62.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 62.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 49.5% |
| Mapped soil | 1,484 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Toledo | 48% | n/a |
| Nappanee | 7% | n/a |
| Fulton | 3% | n/a |
| Bono | 2% | n/a |
| Lenawee | 2% | n/a |
| Haskins | 1% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.3% by land area here, and 49% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 53% of the mapped land.
On 62% of Port Clinton's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 63% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Ottawa County
0% of Ottawa 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 Port Clinton. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43452 | 100% | 62 | $1.3 million |
Homes in Port Clinton
| Housing units | 3,711 |
| Median year built | 1960 |
| Built before 1980 | 65% |
| Built 2000 or later | 8% |
| Owner-occupied | 68% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $152,300 |
| Single-family detached | 56% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bay View | 7 mi | 95% | 98% |
| Castalia | 10 mi | 0% | 62% |
| Oak Harbor | 10 mi | 51% | 77% |
| Marblehead | 11 mi | 1% | 15% |
| Put-in-Bay | 12 mi | 0% | 10% |
| Sandusky | 12 mi | 33% | 74% |
| Kelleys Island | 14 mi | 0% | 40% |
| Fremont | 14 mi | 4% | 73% |
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