Cuyahoga County, OH Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Cuyahoga County
That's Cuyahoga County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. Flat and low-pitch roofs in Cuyahoga County are actually governed by ASCE 7's §7.3.4 minimum of 20 psf, not the 14 psf the ground-load formula alone would produce.
Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 44 in. of fresh powder, 16 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 4 in. if it's turned to 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.
Cuyahoga County, OH: quick facts
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map20 psf
- National rank#506 of 2,758
- Ohio rank#2 of 86
- Population1,240,594
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal63.8 in.
- FIPS39035
Where Cuyahoga County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Cuyahoga County sits at #506, the top 18% nationally - #2 of 86 within Ohio. Cuyahoga County's figure lands almost exactly on Ohio's own county-average of 20 psf.
Near 41.555°N 81.605°W, FIPS 39035: Cuyahoga County counts 1,240,594 residents and a 20 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 20 psf.
How much it actually snows in Cuyahoga County
Most winters bring Cuyahoga County roughly 63.8 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at CLEVELAND, OH US, 16.4 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Cuyahoga 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 Cuyahoga County's county-wide figure. (How this figure is calculated.)