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Sheffield Lake, Ohio
Inside Sheffield Lake's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 77% of mapped land, higher than 63% of Ohio cities. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 1%.
That water-table share is below Lorain County's 91%. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 44054 overlapping the city. Of its 4,699 homes, 81% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1966.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Lorain 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 Sheffield Lake
Basement waterproofing in Sheffield Lake: a shallow water table limits basements on 77% of Sheffield Lake's mapped land, more than in 63% of Ohio cities, and the ZIP code overlapping Sheffield Lake logged 2 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
In Lorain County, 65% of the 60 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 3,600 of Sheffield Lake's 4,699 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Sheffield Lake city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 77.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 77.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.5% |
| Urban land, not rated | 16.5% |
| Mapped soil | 1,598 acres |
What the numbers mean here
On 77% of Sheffield Lake's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 77% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Lorain County
0% of Lorain 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 Sheffield Lake. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 44054 | 100% | 2 | $22,101 |
Homes in Sheffield Lake
| Housing units | 4,699 |
| Median year built | 1966 |
| Built before 1980 | 81% |
| Built 2000 or later | 3% |
| Owner-occupied | 68% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $167,000 |
| Single-family detached | 76% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheffield | 2 mi | 8% | 89% |
| Avon Lake | 4 mi | 6% | 94% |
| Lorain | 5 mi | 5% | 71% |
| Avon | 6 mi | 11% | 85% |
| Elyria | 8 mi | 8% | 72% |
| North Ridgeville | 8 mi | 5% | 87% |
| Bay Village | 9 mi | 0% | 51% |
| Amherst | 9 mi | 5% | 74% |
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