Increased sodium levels in streams have been widely observed in various watersheds across the United States, Canada, and Europe due to the extensive use of road-deicing salt, primarily sodium chloride. These elevated sodium concentrations pose significant threats to the riparian ecosystems connected with these streams, as they can lead to soil degradation and nutrient imbalances and salinity stress for vegetation. While pre-existing salt concentrations and weathering influence soil sodium levels, factors like soil properties, adsorption capacity, and land use patterns also play significant roles. However, there remains a gap in understanding the extent of these attributes on current sodium levels in riparian soils. To address this, the present study investigated the relationships between soil characteristics, land use patterns, watershed attributes, and base cation concentrations in 18 different riparian soil sites in road salt-treated watersheds across southern Ontario. The study included a gradient of watershed urbanization and soil characteristics and employed Principal Component Analysis and linear and geographically weighted regression methods for analysis. The Exchangeable Sodium Percentage (ESP) of the soils ranged from 0.36 to 7.34%, with sodium levels of no significant concern for soil quality and productivity in summer. There were similar correlations between soil sodium and adsorption capacity (0.45), road density (0.47), and impervious surface (0.49), with the latter two factors having stronger correlations with closer proximity to the sample site (up to 2 km) than more distant buffers. This suggests sodium buildup in riparian soils is affected by short-distance transport, with lesser influence of watershed-wide salt application rates.