Dickinson County, MI Roof Snow Load - 42 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Dickinson County, MI?
42 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Dickinson County to carry.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 92.4 in. if it's fresh powder, 33.6 in. once it settles, or a mere 8.4 in. if it's ice. A serious structural load. Homes built before modern snow-load provisions, or with low-slope/flat roof sections, are the ones most worth having checked.
Dickinson County, MI: quick facts
- Design roof snow load42 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map60 psf
- National rank#48 of 2,758
- Michigan rank#14 of 70
- Population25,995
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal61 in.
- FIPS26043
How Dickinson County compares
42 psf ranks #48 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 2%) - and #14 of 70 in Michigan. 31.7 psf is Michigan's typical county figure - Dickinson County beats it by 10.3 psf.
Population 25,995 (FIPS 26043), roughly 46.0128°N 87.8661°W. The 60 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 42 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Dickinson County, MI
NOAA's 30-year normal for Dickinson County: 61 in. of snow a year, from the IRON MTN-KINGSFORD WWTP, MI US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Dickinson 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.
Dickinson 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.