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Spencerville, Ohio
Inside Spencerville's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 99% of mapped land, the 2nd-highest of 9 cities in Allen County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 29%, the 2nd-highest of 9 cities in Allen County.
That water-table share is above Allen County's 93%. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45887 overlapping the city. Of its 947 homes, 84% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1963.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Allen 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 Spencerville
Basement waterproofing in Spencerville: a shallow water table limits basements on 99% of Spencerville's mapped land, more than in 94% of Ohio cities, and the ZIP code overlapping Spencerville logged 1 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
In Allen County, 14% of the 37 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 600 of Spencerville's 947 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Spencerville city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 29.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 99.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 99.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 1.5% |
| Mapped soil | 623 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.8% by land area here, and 2% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 29% of the mapped land.
On 99% of Spencerville's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 99% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Allen County
0% of Allen 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 Spencerville. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45887 | 100% | 1 | $10,343 |
Homes in Spencerville
| Housing units | 947 |
| Median year built | 1963 |
| Built before 1980 | 84% |
| Built 2000 or later | 11% |
| Owner-occupied | 67% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $137,100 |
| Single-family detached | 68% |
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