Dodge County, Wisconsin · Juneau
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With 42% of homes built before 1960 and about 64 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
August brings the most downpours to Dodge County, part of 6.8 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Dodge County spike on heavy-rain days, about 6.8 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Dodge County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.86 inches, and about 93 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
20% of occupied homes in Dodge County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Wisconsin county median of 32.9%.
With 15 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 876 square miles of southeast Wisconsin, with about 88,742 residents and 38,524 homes. Besides Juneau, the county seat, the biggest communities are Beaver Dam, Waupun and Mayville. The county's median home was built in 1970.
60/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Dodge County ranks 15 of 72 Wisconsin counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Dodge County ranks highest compared with other Wisconsin counties.
Dodge County is milder than most of Wisconsin, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 64 nights a year at or below 20°F (52nd of 72) and 149 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On January 31, 2019 the low fell to about -30°F, and in the stretch ending March 2015 the county went 27 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 18 and the last spring freeze around May 4.
Rainfall is about average for Wisconsin. The county gets about 37.9 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 6.8 days of an inch or more (30th of 72). Those downpours cluster in May, June and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.86 inches on October 2, 2019. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 7.15 inches (through August 29, 2018).
About 93 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
62% of homes in Dodge County predate 1980, above the Wisconsin county median of 54.1%, which ranks 16th of Wisconsin's 72 counties.
Before 1960 is when 42% of these homes went up. Galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains were standard then, and after 60-plus years both corrode and crack, often out of sight inside a wall or under a slab.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 15 times a year here, above the Wisconsin county median of 11. 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 59% utility gas, 17% electric, 17% propane and 3% 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
Fond du Lac, Green Lake and Washington get more pipe-freeze nights than Dodge. Green Lake County has the oldest housing nearby, with 65% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Dodge | Wisconsin median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 42% | 31% | 5 of 72 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 62% | 54% | 16 of 72 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 18% | 21% | 56 of 72 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.5% | 4.8% | 50 of 72 |
| Vacant homes | 6.8% | 12% | 50 of 72 |
| Wood or propane heat | 20% | 33% | 51 of 72 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 64/yr | 73/yr | 52 of 72 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.8/yr | 6.3/yr | 30 of 72 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 93/yr | 94/yr | 38 of 72 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 15/yr | 11/yr | 24 of 72 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Wisconsin 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 May, June 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