Dakota County, MN Roof Snow Load - 35 psf
Dakota County, MN: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Dakota County's roofs are built to hold 35 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first.
In depth, not weight: that's roughly 77 inches of fresh, light snow, 28 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 7 inches of solid ice - snow that heavy is rare here but ice from a freeze-thaw cycle adds up far faster than the depth suggests. A load this size is a serious structural matter; pre-modern-code homes and low-slope or flat-roofed sections are the ones most worth an inspection.
Dakota County in numbers
- Design roof snow load35 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map50 psf
- National rank#92 of 2,758
- Minnesota rank#32 of 87
- Population453,156
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal51.2 in.
- FIPS27037
Dakota County by the numbers
Nationally that's #92 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 3%; within Minnesota alone, Dakota County ranks #32 of 87. 37.4 psf is Minnesota's typical county figure - Dakota County comes in 2.4 psf under it.
Dakota County, FIPS 27037, is home to 453,156 people near 44.6709°N 93.0625°W. Its 50 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 35 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Dakota County's snowfall, most winters
51.2 in. a year: that's Dakota County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL AP, MN US (16.8 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on Dakota County's number
Treat the Dakota County figure as a starting point, not a final answer: it assumes standard occupancy, a heated structure and a moderately sheltered site, per ASCE 7-22's own defaults. Exposed terrain, an unheated building or a steeper roof all shift the real number.
For a real application, skip the county number and go straight to the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool - enter your coordinates and it returns a site-specific figure a plan reviewer will recognize. (How this figure is calculated.)