Ohio / Geauga County
Score 60 · high · #29 of 88 in OH
Crawl space moisture in Geauga County, OH
60% of Geauga County's mapped soil is somewhat poorly to very poorly drained, which means ground that stays wet near the surface for significant periods. Where a seasonal water table is reported — 88% of acres — it averages 1 ft below grade, shallow enough to reach a typical crawl-space footing.
- 1Water table 1 ft
- 2Wet soils 60%
- 3Moisture score 60
- 4EPA radon zone 2
Reading the Geauga County soil survey
The score of 60 combines four parts, each from the USDA survey: wet drainage classes contribute 52.6 points of 100 on their own scale, group D soils 78.4, a shallow water table 74.9, and flooding 7.5; the weights are on the methodology page. The dominant hydrologic group is D (61% of acres): very slow infiltration, high runoff (clays, high water table).
A water table under two feet is the single most important number here. A crawl-space floor is usually 18 to 36 inches below the joists and often below outside grade, so in a wet season groundwater can stand at or above the crawl-space floor across much of Geauga County. Venting cannot fix that; it needs drainage — a perimeter drain to daylight or a sump — before any liner goes down.
Geauga County against the rest of Ohio
Geauga County ranks 29 of 88 Ohio counties, 14 points above the state median of 46. Wetter counties exist in Ohio, but the soil here still sits well above the national middle. Statewide, 44% of mapped soil is in the wet drainage classes; here it is 60%. After somewhat poorly drained, the next most common class is moderately well drained at 29%.
Flooding. 7.5% of acres with a flooding class are rated frequent. Flood-prone soils are a minority here, concentrated along streams; the score mostly reflects what happens between floods.
What it means for a crawl space here
In a high county, the model-code default of a vented crawl space over bare earth works against the soil: outside air brings humidity in all summer, and the ground underneath keeps supplying moisture from below. The R408 alternative — an unvented crawl space with a sealed vapor retarder lapped 6 inches and turned 6 inches up the stem wall, plus conditioned or exhaust air at 1 cfm per 50 sq ft or a dehumidifier — is built for exactly this. If the water table is shallow, drainage comes first.
Radon. EPA radon zone 2. The zone is a county-level prediction; EPA says elevated levels occur in every zone and every home should be tested.
Near Geauga County by score
Sources: USDA NRCS SSURGO via Soil Data Access (muaggatt: drclassdcd, hydgrpdcd, flodfreqdcd, pondfreqprs, wtdepannmin), acreage-weighted (survey area OH055; drainage covers 98% of 261,645 mapped acres); EPA Map of Radon Zones, county table (June 2024 JSON); IRC R408.3 Unvented crawl space, as adopted in S.C. Code Regs. 8-1221 (LII). Checked 2026-10-23.