Elk County, KS Roof Snow Load - 15 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Elk County, KS?
15 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Elk County to carry. Flat and low-pitch roofs in Elk County are actually governed by ASCE 7's §7.3.4 minimum of 15 psf, not the 10.5 psf the ground-load formula alone would produce.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 33 in. if it's fresh powder, 12 in. once it settles, or a mere 3 in. if it's ice. A meaningful design load. Most homes built to modern code handle it, but additions, carports, and flat-roofed sections are worth a second look.
Elk County in numbers
- Design roof snow load15 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map15 psf
- National rank#1,637 of 2,758
- Kansas rank#99 of 105
- Population2,436
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal9.8 in.
- FIPS20049
How Elk County compares
15 psf ranks #1,637 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 59%) - and #99 of 105 in Kansas. Kansas counties average 18.2 psf; Elk County runs 3.2 psf lower than that.
Population 2,436 (FIPS 20049), roughly 37.456°N 96.2446°W. The 15 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 15 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Elk County, KS
NOAA's 30-year normal for Elk County: 9.8 in. of snow a year, from the LONGTON, KS US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Elk 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.
Elk 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.)