Fairfield County, Ohio · Lancaster
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Fairfield County averages 28 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 25% of its homes predate 1960.
March brings the most downpours to Fairfield County, part of 5.9 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Fairfield County gets about 5.9 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Fairfield County, 2.46 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
9% of occupied homes in Fairfield County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Ohio county median of 15.9%.
About 37 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
Fairfield County covers 504 square miles of central Ohio, with about 163,453 residents and 64,036 homes. Lancaster is the county seat; Pickerington, Baltimore and Bremen are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1984, half after.
33/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Fairfield County ranks 84 of 88 Ohio counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Fairfield County ranks highest compared with other Ohio counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Ohio, and pipes still freeze. It averaged 102 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 28 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 88 Ohio counties that's 63rd.
The longest cold spell was straight 13 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. The coldest night reached about -11°F on February 25, 2015. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Most freezing nights fall from November to March, peaking in January. Disconnect garden hoses and shut off outdoor spigots before the first hard frost, and keep the heat at 55°F or higher if you'll be away.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 25 and end around Apr 19.
Rainfall is about average for Ohio. About 5.9 days a year bring an inch or more (38th of 88), most often in March, out of 43.1 inches of total precipitation. On November 6, 2017, 2.46 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.71 inches, ending September 10, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 82 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
Ohio's 88 counties range widely in housing age; Fairfield ranks 81st, with 46% of its homes built before 1980.
26% of homes were built in 2000 or later, more than in most of Ohio. Newer plumbing rarely corrodes, so damage here tends to come from appliance supply lines, water heaters, sump pumps and storms.
About 27% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
Beyond water
About 37 nights a year in Fairfield County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (32nd of 88 counties). June is the wettest month. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. Basements can pass 60% on their own in summer, so a dehumidifier matters even without a leak, and anything wet should be dried within 24 to 48 hours.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Fairfield County homes break down as 60% utility gas, 29% electric, 8% propane and 1% wood. Most homes here heat with gas or electricity, so cooking and electrical faults are the likelier fire sources. Even a contained kitchen fire can send soot through the ductwork to every room.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Fairfield County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Franklin, Licking and Perry get more pipe-freeze nights than Fairfield. Perry County has the oldest housing nearby, with 52% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Fairfield | Ohio median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 25% | 37% | 80 of 88 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 46% | 61% | 81 of 88 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 26% | 17% | 9 of 88 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 2.1% | 5.9% | 74 of 88 |
| Vacant homes | 5.7% | 8.4% | 72 of 88 |
| Wood or propane heat | 8.7% | 16% | 67 of 88 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 28/yr | 31/yr | 63 of 88 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.9/yr | 5.7/yr | 38 of 88 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 82/yr | 82/yr | 44 of 88 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 37/yr | 35/yr | 32 of 88 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Ohio county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Fairfield 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