HomeOhioSeneca CountyTiffin
Tiffin, Ohio
Inside Tiffin's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 72% of mapped land, higher than 56% of Ohio cities. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 15%, the 5th-highest of 7 cities in Seneca County.
That water-table share is below Seneca County's 89%. FEMA's flood data list 4 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 44883 overlapping the city. Of its 8,130 homes, 78% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1956.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Seneca 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 Tiffin
Basement waterproofing in Tiffin: a shallow water table limits basements on 72% of Tiffin's mapped land, more than in 56% of Ohio cities, and the ZIP code overlapping Tiffin logged 4 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
About 5,100 of Tiffin's 8,130 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Tiffin city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 15.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 71.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 90.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 8.3% |
| Urban land, not rated | 2.6% |
| Mapped soil | 4,848 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.4% by land area here, and 8% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 15% of the mapped land.
On 72% of Tiffin's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 90% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Seneca County
0% of Seneca 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 Tiffin. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 44883 | 100% | 4 | $29,315 |
Homes in Tiffin
| Housing units | 8,130 |
| Median year built | 1956 |
| Built before 1980 | 78% |
| Built 2000 or later | 10% |
| Owner-occupied | 59% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $142,200 |
| Single-family detached | 63% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Riegel | 9 mi | 18% | 100% |
| Republic | 9 mi | 18% | 99% |
| Bettsville | 9 mi | 32% | 59% |
| Bloomville | 10 mi | 8% | 99% |
| Burgoon | 11 mi | 61% | 64% |
| Sycamore | 11 mi | 8% | 78% |
| Green Springs | 12 mi | 12% | 77% |
| Fostoria | 12 mi | 43% | 73% |
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