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Shelby, Ohio
Inside Shelby's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 83% of mapped land, the 3rd-highest of 8 cities in Richland County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 1%, the 4th-highest of 8 cities in Richland County.
That water-table share is above Richland County's 66%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 44875 overlapping the city. Of its 3,975 homes, 80% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1959.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Richland 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 Shelby
Basement waterproofing in Shelby: a shallow water table limits basements on 83% of Shelby's mapped land, more than in 69% of Ohio cities.
About 2,900 of Shelby's 3,975 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Shelby city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 83.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.5% |
| Urban land, not rated | 9.0% |
| Mapped soil | 4,138 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Bennington | 43% | 99% |
| Pewamo | 14% | 99% |
| Cardington | 7% | 99% |
| Centerburg | 5% | over 99% |
| Shoals | 5% | n/a |
| Condit | 4% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
On 83% of Shelby's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 84% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Richland County
0% of Richland 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 Shelby. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 44875 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Shelby
| Housing units | 3,975 |
| Median year built | 1959 |
| Built before 1980 | 80% |
| Built 2000 or later | 7% |
| Owner-occupied | 61% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $122,200 |
| Single-family detached | 73% |
Nearby cities
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