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Sylvania, Ohio
Inside Sylvania's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 55% of mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 13%.
That water-table share is below Lucas County's 68%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 43560 overlapping the city. Of its 8,008 homes, 60% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1975.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Lucas 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 Sylvania
Basement waterproofing in Sylvania: a shallow water table limits basements on 55% of Sylvania's mapped land.
In Lucas County, 35% of the 34 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 5,500 of Sylvania's 8,008 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Sylvania city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 13.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 55.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 63.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 12.6% |
| Urban land, not rated | 14.5% |
| Mapped soil | 4,300 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Ottokee | 17% | n/a |
| Granby | 8% | n/a |
| Tedrow | 7% | n/a |
| Oakville | 6% | n/a |
| Haskins | 6% | n/a |
| Sloan | 5% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
On 55% of Sylvania's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 63% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Lucas County
0% of Lucas 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 Sylvania. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43560 | over 99% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Sylvania
| Housing units | 8,008 |
| Median year built | 1975 |
| Built before 1980 | 60% |
| Built 2000 or later | 13% |
| Owner-occupied | 78% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $249,200 |
| Single-family detached | 68% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Hills | 5 mi | under 1% | 39% |
| Holland | 6 mi | under 1% | 62% |
| Berkey | 7 mi | 76% | 91% |
| Toledo | 7 mi | 2% | 41% |
| Maumee | 10 mi | 25% | 52% |
| Metamora | 10 mi | 40% | 94% |
| Rossford | 12 mi | 28% | 76% |
| Perrysburg | 12 mi | 41% | 76% |
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