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Sandusky, Ohio
Inside Sandusky's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 74% of mapped land, the 3rd-highest of 7 cities in Erie County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 33%, the 2nd-highest of 7 cities in Erie County.
That water-table share is above Erie County's 69%. FEMA's flood data list 65 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 44870 overlapping the city. Of its 13,137 homes, 83% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1955.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Erie 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 Sandusky
Basement waterproofing in Sandusky: a shallow water table limits basements on 74% of Sandusky's mapped land, more than in 58% of Ohio cities, and the ZIP code overlapping Sandusky logged 65 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
In Erie County, 54% of the 46 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 7,600 of Sandusky's 13,137 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Sandusky city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 32.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 74.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 74.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 31.7% |
| Mapped soil | 5,961 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Toledo | 18% | n/a |
| Fulton | 15% | n/a |
| Del Rey | 13% | n/a |
| Randolph | 8% | n/a |
| Milford | 7% | n/a |
| Bennington | 4% | 99% |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.5% by land area here, and 32% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 33% of the mapped land.
On 74% of Sandusky's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 75% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Erie County
0% of Erie 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 Sandusky. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 44870 | 100% | 65 | $965,755 |
Homes in Sandusky
| Housing units | 13,137 |
| Median year built | 1955 |
| Built before 1980 | 83% |
| Built 2000 or later | 6% |
| Owner-occupied | 50% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $113,100 |
| Single-family detached | 58% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marblehead | 5 mi | 1% | 15% |
| Castalia | 6 mi | 0% | 62% |
| Bay View | 6 mi | 95% | 98% |
| Huron | 9 mi | 0% | 82% |
| Kelleys Island | 10 mi | 0% | 40% |
| Port Clinton | 12 mi | 53% | 62% |
| Milan | 13 mi | 0% | 68% |
| Bellevue | 14 mi | 1% | 64% |
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