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Westlake, Ohio
Inside Westlake's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 75% of mapped land, higher than 60% of Ohio cities. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on under 1%.
That water-table share is above Cuyahoga County's 51%. FEMA's flood data list 4 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 44145 overlapping the city. Of its 15,559 homes, 44% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1983.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Cuyahoga 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 Westlake
Basement waterproofing in Westlake: a shallow water table limits basements on 75% of Westlake's mapped land, more than in 60% of Ohio cities, and the ZIP code overlapping Westlake logged 4 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
In Cuyahoga County, 47% of the 90 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 9,300 of Westlake's 15,559 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Westlake city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | under 0.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 75.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 79.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | under 0.1% |
| Urban land, not rated | 6.6% |
| Mapped soil | 10,197 acres |
What the numbers mean here
On 75% of Westlake's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 80% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Cuyahoga County
0% of Cuyahoga 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 Westlake. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 44145 | 100% | 4 | $59,692 |
Homes in Westlake
| Housing units | 15,559 |
| Median year built | 1983 |
| Built before 1980 | 44% |
| Built 2000 or later | 17% |
| Owner-occupied | 73% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $368,200 |
| Single-family detached | 60% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Olmsted | 2 mi | 0% | 58% |
| Bay Village | 3 mi | 0% | 51% |
| Avon | 4 mi | 11% | 85% |
| Fairview Park | 4 mi | 0% | 29% |
| Rocky River | 4 mi | 1% | 35% |
| Avon Lake | 5 mi | 6% | 94% |
| Olmsted Falls | 6 mi | 0% | 71% |
| North Ridgeville | 6 mi | 5% | 87% |
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