Douglas County, MN Roof Snow Load - 35 psf

How much snow is too much for a roof in Douglas County, MN?

Picture it, not just weigh it: 77 in. if it's fresh powder, 28 in. once it settles, or a mere 7 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.

Douglas County, MN: quick facts

• Design roof snow load35 psf
• Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map50 psf
• National rank#134 of 2,758
• Minnesota rank#51 of 87
• Population39,933
• Annual snowfall, NOAA normal54 in.
• FIPS27041

How Douglas County compares

35 psf ranks #134 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 5%) - and #51 of 87 in Minnesota. 37.4 psf is Minnesota's typical county figure - Douglas County comes in 2.4 psf under it.

Population 39,933 (FIPS 27041), roughly 45.9368°N 95.4622°W. The 50 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 35 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.

Typical snowfall in Douglas County, MN

NOAA's 30-year normal for Douglas County: 54 in. of snow a year, from the LONG PRAIRIE, MN US station. Worth noting: the nearest station reporting snowfall normals sits 27.6 mi from Douglas County's center, so treat this as a regional figure rather than an exact one. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)

What this Douglas 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.

Douglas 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.