Dent County, MO Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
Dent County, MO: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Dent County's roofs are built to hold 20 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first. ASCE 7's low-slope-roof minimum (§7.3.4) raises the governing figure to 20 psf - higher than the 14 psf the ground-load formula alone would give, and the code says use the larger one.
In depth, not weight: that's roughly 44 inches of fresh, light snow, 16 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 4 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. 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.
Already snow on the roof in Dent County?
Dent County, MO: quick facts
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map20 psf
- National rank#1,032 of 2,758
- Missouri rank#52 of 115
- Population14,721
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal1.3 in.
- FIPS29065
Dent County by the numbers
Nationally that's #1,032 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 37%; within Missouri alone, Dent County ranks #52 of 115. 18.6 psf is Missouri's typical county figure - Dent County beats it by 1.4 psf.
Dent County, FIPS 29065, is home to 14,721 people near 37.6031°N 91.4897°W. Its 20 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 20 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Dent County's snowfall, most winters
1.3 in. a year: that's Dent County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at SALEM, MO US (3.3 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on Dent County's number
Treat the Dent 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.)