Colfax County, NM Roof Snow Load - 10 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Colfax County
That's Colfax County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. §7.3.4's low-slope minimum of 10 psf is what actually governs on a flat or low-pitch roof here - higher than the 7 psf the base ground-load formula gives.
Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 22 in. of fresh powder, 8 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 2 in. if it's turned to ice. A modest addition to standard roof loading. Ordinary residential construction handles this without extra bracing.
Colfax County at a glance
- Design roof snow load10 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map10 psf
- National rank#1,978 of 2,758
- New Mexico rank#7 of 27
- Population12,307
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal21.4 in.
- FIPS35007
Where Colfax County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Colfax County sits at #1,978, the top 72% nationally - #7 of 27 within New Mexico. 6.9 psf is New Mexico's typical county figure - Colfax County beats it by 3.1 psf.
Near 36.613°N 104.6401°W, FIPS 35007: Colfax County counts 12,307 residents and a 10 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 10 psf.
How much it actually snows in Colfax County
Most winters bring Colfax County roughly 21.4 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at MAXWELL 3 NW, NM US, 4.2 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Colfax 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 Colfax County's county-wide figure. See the methodology guide.