Adams County, CO Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Adams County
That's Adams County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. §7.3.4's low-slope minimum of 20 psf is what actually governs on a flat or low-pitch roof here - higher than the 14 psf the base ground-load formula gives.
Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 44 in. of fresh powder, 16 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 4 in. if it's turned to ice. A meaningful design load. Most homes built to modern code handle it, but additions, carports, and flat-roofed sections are worth a second look.
Adams County at a glance
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map20 psf
- National rank#537 of 2,758
- Colorado rank#4 of 24
- Population542,973
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal42.7 in.
- FIPS08001
Where Adams County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Adams County sits at #537, the top 19% nationally - #4 of 24 within Colorado. 17.7 psf is Colorado's typical county figure - Adams County beats it by 2.3 psf.
Near 39.8743°N 104.3319°W, FIPS 08001: Adams County counts 542,973 residents and a 20 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 20 psf.
How much it actually snows in Adams County
Most winters bring Adams County roughly 42.7 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at BYERS 5 ENE, CO US, 14.2 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Adams County's number above is ASCE 7-22's default case, not a custom calculation: ordinary residential occupancy, heated, sited on ground that's neither fully sheltered nor fully exposed. Any one of those changing - pitch, exposure, heating, occupancy - moves the real figure.
Nothing here substitutes for an address-level number. Get one free, in about a minute, from the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool using your own coordinates rather than Adams County's county-wide figure. (How this figure is calculated.)