HomeOhioFayette CountyWashington Court House
Washington Court House, Ohio
Inside Washington Court House's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 96% of mapped land, the 4th-highest of 5 cities in Fayette County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 30%, the 4th-highest of 5 cities in Fayette County.
That water-table share is close to Fayette County's 96%. FEMA's flood data list 5 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 43160 overlapping the city. Of its 6,825 homes, 68% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1967.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Fayette 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 Washington Court House
Basement waterproofing in Washington Court House: a shallow water table limits basements on 96% of Washington Court House's mapped land, more than in 87% of Ohio cities, and the ZIP code overlapping Washington Court House logged 5 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
About 4,500 of Washington Court House's 6,825 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Washington Court House city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 30.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 96.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 97.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 1.3% |
| Mapped soil | 5,829 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.6% by land area here, and 1% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 30% of the mapped land.
On 96% of Washington Court House's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 98% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Fayette County
0% of Fayette 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 Washington Court House. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43160 | 100% | 5 | $6,870 |
Homes in Washington Court House
| Housing units | 6,825 |
| Median year built | 1967 |
| Built before 1980 | 68% |
| Built 2000 or later | 15% |
| Owner-occupied | 55% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $159,800 |
| Single-family detached | 66% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomingburg | 5 mi | 11% | 89% |
| New Holland | 9 mi | 23% | 76% |
| Milledgeville | 9 mi | 38% | 100% |
| Jeffersonville | 10 mi | 37% | 97% |
| Octa | 11 mi | 49% | 98% |
| Sabina | 12 mi | 39% | 98% |
| Greenfield | 13 mi | 1% | 53% |
| Midway | 14 mi | 10% | 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