Albany County, WY Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
Albany County, WY: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Albany 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.
Albany County in numbers
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map20 psf
- National rank#784 of 2,758
- Wyoming rank#4 of 18
- Population39,288
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal64.1 in.
- FIPS56001
Albany County by the numbers
Nationally that's #784 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 28%; within Wyoming alone, Albany County ranks #4 of 18. That's 2.5 psf above Wyoming's own county-average design load of 17.5 psf.
Albany County, FIPS 56001, is home to 39,288 people near 41.6655°N 105.7219°W. Its 20 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 20 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Albany County's snowfall, most winters
64.1 in. a year: that's Albany County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at LARAMIE 4SE, WY US (28.1 mi away). That station is far enough away (28.1 mi) that local snowfall - especially at a different elevation or near a lake - can run noticeably higher or lower than this figure. See the density guide.
Before you rely on Albany County's number
Treat the Albany 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. (How this figure is calculated.)