Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin · Fond du Lac
Water spreading, a burst pipe, sewage, mold or smoke? Call to be connected with a restoration company that serves Fond du Lac, Ripon and North Fond du Lac. Start the steps below while you wait.
Answered 24/7 by a participating local provider. We're a referral service and don't do the work ourselves. How it works
Start here
Pick the closest match. These steps limit the damage and protect your insurance claim. Skip anything that isn't safe.
Fond du Lac County averages 65 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to April, and 39% of its homes predate 1960.
May brings the most downpours to Fond du Lac County, part of 6.3 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Fond du Lac County gets about 6.3 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Fond du Lac County, 3.32 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
15% of occupied homes in Fond du Lac County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Wisconsin county median of 32.9%.
About 16 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
About 104,137 people live in Fond du Lac County, 720 square miles in southeast Wisconsin, in roughly 46,094 homes. The county seat is Fond du Lac, and Ripon, North Fond du Lac and Campbellsport round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1971, half after.
57/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Fond du Lac County ranks 20 of 72 Wisconsin counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Fond du Lac County ranks highest compared with other Wisconsin counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Fond du Lac County sits near the middle of the state. From 2015–2024 it averaged 65 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 148 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 47th of 72 counties.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 27 days below freezing (ending March 2015), and the low bottomed out near -29°F on January 31, 2019.
Most freezing nights fall from November to April, 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 18 and end around May 3.
Rainfall is about average for Wisconsin. The county gets about 36.4 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 6.3 days of an inch or more (36th of 72). Those downpours cluster in May, June and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.32 inches on August 27, 2018. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.33 inches, ending August 29, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 92 times a year here. They're the main driver of ice dams and of water working its way through foundation cracks in late winter.
Housing
Wisconsin's 72 counties range widely in housing age; Fond du Lac ranks 17th, with 62% of its homes built before 1980.
Before 1960 is when 39% 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.
Renters occupy 29% of homes. If you rent, the building is usually the landlord's to repair, but your belongings are only covered by renters insurance.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 16 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 expectMain heating fuel in Fond du Lac County's occupied homes: 66% utility gas, 15% electric, 13% propane and 2% 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 Fond du Lac County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Green Lake gets more pipe-freeze nights than Fond du Lac. Green Lake County has the oldest housing nearby, with 65% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Fond du Lac | Wisconsin median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 39% | 31% | 14 of 72 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 62% | 54% | 17 of 72 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 19% | 21% | 51 of 72 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.7% | 4.8% | 47 of 72 |
| Vacant homes | 6.2% | 12% | 56 of 72 |
| Wood or propane heat | 15% | 33% | 54 of 72 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 65/yr | 73/yr | 47 of 72 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.3/yr | 6.3/yr | 36 of 72 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 92/yr | 94/yr | 44 of 72 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 16/yr | 11/yr | 21 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 Fond du Lac 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