Dodge County, Minnesota · Mantorville
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With 29% of homes built before 1960 and about 82 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
June brings the most downpours to Dodge County, part of 8.1 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Dodge County spike on heavy-rain days, about 8.1 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Dodge County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.57 inches, and about 92 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
27% of occupied homes in Dodge County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Minnesota county median of 30%.
With 12 muggy nights a year, mold in Dodge County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Dodge County covers 439 square miles of southern Minnesota, with about 21,045 residents and 8,484 homes. Besides Mantorville, the county seat, the biggest communities are Kasson, Dodge Center and Hayfield. The county's median home was built in 1979.
51/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Dodge County ranks 42 of 87 Minnesota counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Dodge County ranks highest compared with other Minnesota counties.
Dodge County is milder than most of Minnesota, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 82 nights a year at or below 20°F (60th of 87) and 161 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On January 31, 2019 the low fell to about -33°F, and in the stretch ending February 2020 the county went 22 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
The freeze season here runs November to April, 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 12 and the last spring freeze around May 4.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Minnesota. The county gets about 37.4 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 8.1 days of an inch or more (6th of 87). Those downpours cluster in June, July and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.57 inches on September 22, 2016. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.63 inches (through September 13, 2019).
About 92 days a year swing from below freezing at night to above freezing by day. Those freeze-thaw cycles feed ice dams on roofs, open cracks in foundations and driveways, and stress pipes that are already marginal.
Housing
51% of homes in Dodge County predate 1980, below the Minnesota county median of 58.4%, which ranks 60th of Minnesota's 87 counties.
27% of homes were built in 2000 or later, more than in most of Minnesota. 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 22% 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 12 times a year here, close to the Minnesota county median of 13. 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Dodge County it's 62% utility gas, 8% electric, 25% propane and 2% 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 Dodge County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Dodge gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Mower County has the oldest housing nearby, with 74% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Dodge | Minnesota median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 29% | 34% | 55 of 87 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 51% | 58% | 60 of 87 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 27% | 21% | 27 of 87 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 5.1% | 3.8% | 29 of 87 |
| Vacant homes | 4.7% | 11% | 78 of 87 |
| Wood or propane heat | 27% | 30% | 50 of 87 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 82/yr | 89/yr | 60 of 87 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.1/yr | 5.3/yr | 6 of 87 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 92/yr | 86/yr | 7 of 87 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 12/yr | 13/yr | 45 of 87 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Minnesota county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Dodge County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in June, July and August.
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