Daviess County, IN Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Daviess County, IN?
20 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Daviess County to carry. 14 psf is what the ground-load formula alone gives; Daviess County's 20 psf low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) beats it, so that figure is the one that governs on flat and low-pitch roofs.
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. This is a meaningful design load - most modern-code homes handle it fine, though an addition, a carport or a flat-roofed section can be a weak spot.
Daviess County in numbers
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map20 psf
- National rank#827 of 2,758
- Indiana rank#39 of 89
- Population34,097
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal9.2 in.
- FIPS18027
How Daviess County compares
20 psf ranks #827 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 30%) - and #39 of 89 in Indiana. 19.3 psf is Indiana's typical county figure - Daviess County beats it by 0.7 psf.
Population 34,097 (FIPS 18027), roughly 38.6961°N 87.0769°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 Daviess County, IN
NOAA's 30-year normal for Daviess County: 9.2 in. of snow a year, from the WASHINGTON 1 W, IN US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Daviess 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.
Daviess 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. See the methodology guide.