Defiance County, OH Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Defiance County, OH?
20 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Defiance County to carry. 14 psf is what the ground-load formula alone gives; Defiance 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. 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.
Defiance County, OH: quick facts
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map20 psf
- National rank#787 of 2,758
- Ohio rank#62 of 86
- Population38,644
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal24.2 in.
- FIPS39039
How Defiance County compares
20 psf ranks #787 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 29%) - and #62 of 86 in Ohio. Defiance County's figure lands almost exactly on Ohio's own county-average of 20 psf.
Population 38,644 (FIPS 39039), roughly 41.3217°N 84.4864°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 Defiance County, OH
NOAA's 30-year normal for Defiance County: 24.2 in. of snow a year, from the DEFIANCE, OH US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Defiance 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.
Defiance 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.)