Cherokee County, KS Roof Snow Load - 15 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Cherokee County, KS?
15 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Cherokee County to carry. §7.3.4's low-slope minimum of 15 psf is what actually governs on a flat or low-pitch roof here - higher than the 10.5 psf the base ground-load formula gives.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 33 in. if it's fresh powder, 12 in. once it settles, or a mere 3 in. if it's ice. Modern-code homes carry a load like this without issue; an older addition, a carport, or any flat-roofed section is where it is worth checking first.
Cherokee County in numbers
- Design roof snow load15 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map15 psf
- National rank#1,479 of 2,758
- Kansas rank#82 of 105
- Population19,133
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal7.2 in.
- FIPS20021
How Cherokee County compares
15 psf ranks #1,479 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 54%) - and #82 of 105 in Kansas. That's 3.2 psf below Kansas's own county-average design load of 18.2 psf.
Population 19,133 (FIPS 20021), roughly 37.1694°N 94.8457°W. The 15 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 15 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Cherokee County, KS
NOAA's 30-year normal for Cherokee County: 7.2 in. of snow a year, from the COLUMBUS, KS US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Cherokee County figure assumes
This is a county-level reference figure for a typical heated home built to Risk Category II (ordinary residential), on a partially exposed lot - the assumptions ASCE 7-22 itself treats as the default case. A steeper roof, a fully exposed hilltop lot, an unheated structure, or a higher risk category all change the actual number.
Cherokee County's permit office wants an address-specific figure, not this county average - the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool is free, takes under a minute, and outputs a PDF most reviewers accept. Details: the calculation guide.