Barnstable County, MA Roof Snow Load - 21 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Barnstable County
That's Barnstable County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from.
Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 46.2 in. of fresh powder, 16.8 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 4.2 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.
Barnstable County at a glance
- Design roof snow load21 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map30 psf
- National rank#403 of 2,758
- Massachusetts rank#12 of 14
- Population232,570
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal24.5 in.
- FIPS25001
Where Barnstable County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Barnstable County sits at #403, the top 15% nationally - #12 of 14 within Massachusetts. 27.6 psf is Massachusetts's typical county figure - Barnstable County comes in 6.6 psf under it.
Near 41.7061°N 70.1648°W, FIPS 25001: Barnstable County counts 232,570 residents and a 30 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 21 psf.
How much it actually snows in Barnstable County
Most winters bring Barnstable County roughly 24.5 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at CHATHAM, MA US, 11.1 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Barnstable 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 Barnstable County's county-wide figure. (How this figure is calculated.)