Clay County, IN Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Clay County, IN?
20 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Clay County to carry. §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.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 44 in. if it's fresh powder, 16 in. once it settles, or a mere 4 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.
Clay County at a glance
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map20 psf
- National rank#898 of 2,758
- Indiana rank#49 of 89
- Population26,424
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal14.7 in.
- FIPS18021
How Clay County compares
20 psf ranks #898 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 33%) - and #49 of 89 in Indiana. That's 0.7 psf above Indiana's own county-average design load of 19.3 psf.
Population 26,424 (FIPS 18021), roughly 39.3939°N 87.1159°W. The 20 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 20 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Clay County, IN
NOAA's 30-year normal for Clay County: 14.7 in. of snow a year, from the BOWLING GREEN 1 W, IN US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Clay 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.
Clay 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. (How this figure is calculated.)