SnowLoadCheck

Finney County, KS Roof Snow Load - 15 psf

Finney County, KS: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English

Moderate
15 psf

Finney County's roofs are built to hold 15 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 15 psf - higher than the 10.5 psf the ground-load formula alone would give, and the code says use the larger one.

In depth, not weight: that's roughly 33 inches of fresh, light snow, 12 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 3 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.

Finney County, KS: quick facts

Finney County by the numbers

Nationally that's #1,405 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 51%; within Kansas alone, Finney County ranks #75 of 105. That's 3.2 psf below Kansas's own county-average design load of 18.2 psf.

Finney County, FIPS 20055, is home to 38,354 people near 38.0498°N 100.74°W. Its 15 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 15 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.

Finney County's snowfall, most winters

15.6 in. a year: that's Finney County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at GARDEN CITY EXP STN, KS US (5.6 mi away). See the density guide.

Before you rely on Finney County's number

Treat the Finney 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.)