Johnson County, Indiana · Franklin
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With 15% of homes built before 1960 and about 31 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
July brings the most downpours to Johnson County, part of 9 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Johnson County spike on heavy-rain days, about 9 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Johnson County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.04 inches, and about 81 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
4% of occupied homes in Johnson County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Indiana county median of 17%.
About 44 nights a year here stay at 65°F or warmer, so basements and crawl spaces can grow mold even without a leak.
Local risk profile
Johnson County covers 320 square miles of central Indiana, with about 166,315 residents and 65,915 homes. Besides Franklin, the county seat, the biggest communities are Greenwood, Bargersville and New Whiteland. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1993.
39/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Johnson County ranks 86 of 92 Indiana counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Johnson County ranks highest compared with other Indiana counties.
For frozen pipes, Johnson County is a typical Indiana county, which is still plenty. It averaged 103 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 31 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 92 Indiana counties that's 51st.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 14 days below freezing (ending January 2018), and the low bottomed out near -9°F on January 2, 2018.
The freeze season here runs November to March, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 29 and the last spring freeze around Apr 19.
Rainfall is about average for Indiana. Of roughly 45.4 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 9 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 34th of 92. March, June and July see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.04 inches, June 19, 2021. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 3.94 inches (through August 16, 2016).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 81 days a year. Each cycle melts and refreezes water at roof edges and in foundation cracks, which is how ice dams and basement seepage get started.
Housing
35% of homes in Johnson County predate 1980, below the Indiana county median of 58.2%, which ranks 90th of Indiana's 92 counties.
36% of homes were built in 2000 or later, more than in most of Indiana. Newer plumbing rarely corrodes, so damage here tends to come from appliance supply lines, water heaters, sump pumps and storms.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 29% of the county's homes. If yours is from those decades, look under the sinks and at the water heater for gray plastic pipe stamped PB, which is polybutylene and leak-prone.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 44 times a year here, above the Indiana county median of 38. Mold grows when indoor humidity stays above about 60%, the EPA's ceiling. A basement dehumidifier set to 50% and drying anything wet within 24 to 48 hours prevents most problems.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Johnson County homes break down as 64% utility gas, 32% electric, 3% propane and under 1% wood. Fires here are likelier to start in the kitchen or the wiring than in the furnace. After any fire, keep the HVAC off until ducts are checked, or soot will travel through the house.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Johnson County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Marion gets more pipe-freeze nights than Johnson. Shelby County has the oldest housing nearby, with 62% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Johnson | Indiana median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 15% | 35% | 90 of 92 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 35% | 58% | 90 of 92 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 36% | 18% | 4 of 92 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 2.4% | 6.4% | 84 of 92 |
| Vacant homes | 5.1% | 9.2% | 87 of 92 |
| Wood or propane heat | 3.7% | 17% | 86 of 92 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 31/yr | 33/yr | 51 of 92 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9/yr | 7.8/yr | 34 of 92 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 81/yr | 84/yr | 62 of 92 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 44/yr | 38/yr | 30 of 92 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Indiana county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Johnson County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in March, June and July.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024); weather from NOAA nClimGrid-Daily county averages (EpiNOAA), 2015–2024, averaged across the county; county boundaries from Census TIGER. Reviewed 2026-10-21. Methodology