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South Charleston, Ohio
Inside South Charleston's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 63% of mapped land, the 4th-highest of 9 cities in Clark County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 11%, the 3rd-highest of 9 cities in Clark County.
That water-table share is close to Clark County's 59%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45368 overlapping the city. Of its 904 homes, 65% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1970.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Clark 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 South Charleston
Basement waterproofing in South Charleston: a shallow water table limits basements on 63% of South Charleston's mapped land.
In Clark County, 13% of the 23 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 500 of South Charleston's 904 homes are detached houses.
Soil under South Charleston city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 11.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 63.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 60.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | under 0.1% |
| Mapped soil | 786 acres |
What the numbers mean here
On 63% of South Charleston's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 60% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Clark County
0% of Clark 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 South Charleston. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45368 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in South Charleston
| Housing units | 904 |
| Median year built | 1970 |
| Built before 1980 | 65% |
| Built 2000 or later | 7% |
| Owner-occupied | 55% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $141,300 |
| Single-family detached | 58% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Solon | 6 mi | 37% | 88% |
| South Vienna | 7 mi | 30% | 69% |
| Clifton | 10 mi | 16% | 57% |
| Cedarville | 10 mi | 4% | 64% |
| Springfield | 11 mi | 6% | 31% |
| Midway | 11 mi | 10% | 97% |
| Catawba | 12 mi | 9% | 10% |
| London | 12 mi | 36% | 97% |
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