SnowLoadCheck

Adams County, OH Roof Snow Load - 20 psf

Adams County, OH: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English

Moderate
20 psf

Adams County's roofs are built to hold 20 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first. ASCE 7's low-slope-roof minimum (§7.3.4) raises the governing figure to 20 psf - higher than the 14 psf the ground-load formula alone would give, and the code says use the larger one.

In depth, not weight: that's roughly 44 inches of fresh, light snow, 16 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 4 inches of solid ice - snow that heavy is rare here but ice from a freeze-thaw cycle adds up far faster than the depth suggests. 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

Adams County by the numbers

Nationally that's #883 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 32%; within Ohio alone, Adams County ranks #74 of 86. Adams County's figure lands almost exactly on Ohio's own county-average of 20 psf.

Adams County, FIPS 39001, is home to 27,671 people near 38.8345°N 83.4781°W. Its 20 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 20 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.

Adams County's snowfall, most winters

20.2 in. a year: that's Adams County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at W UNION 6 ENE, OH US (3.1 mi away). See the density guide.

Before you rely on Adams County's number

Treat the Adams County figure as a starting point, not a final answer: it assumes standard occupancy, a heated structure and a moderately sheltered site, per ASCE 7-22's own defaults. Exposed terrain, an unheated building or a steeper roof all shift the real number.

For a real application, skip the county number and go straight to the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool - enter your coordinates and it returns a site-specific figure a plan reviewer will recognize. See the methodology guide.