Ellsworth County, KS Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Ellsworth County
That's Ellsworth County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. §7.3.4's low-slope minimum of 20 psf is what actually governs on a flat or low-pitch roof here - higher than the 14 psf the base ground-load formula gives.
Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 44 in. of fresh powder, 16 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 4 in. if it's turned to 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.
Ellsworth County at a glance
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map20 psf
- National rank#1,186 of 2,758
- Kansas rank#38 of 105
- Population6,316
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal16.2 in.
- FIPS20053
Where Ellsworth County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Ellsworth County sits at #1,186, the top 43% nationally - #38 of 105 within Kansas. That's 1.8 psf above Kansas's own county-average design load of 18.2 psf.
Near 38.7008°N 98.2054°W, FIPS 20053: Ellsworth County counts 6,316 residents and a 20 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 20 psf.
How much it actually snows in Ellsworth County
Most winters bring Ellsworth County roughly 16.2 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at ELLSWORTH, KS US, 2.3 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Ellsworth County's number above is ASCE 7-22's default case, not a custom calculation: ordinary residential occupancy, heated, sited on ground that's neither fully sheltered nor fully exposed. Any one of those changing - pitch, exposure, heating, occupancy - moves the real figure.
Nothing here substitutes for an address-level number. Get one free, in about a minute, from the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool using your own coordinates rather than Ellsworth County's county-wide figure. See the methodology guide.