Franklin County, PA Roof Snow Load - 21 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Franklin County
That's Franklin County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from.
Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 46.2 in. of fresh powder, 16.8 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 4.2 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.
Snow on Franklin County's roofs right now?
Franklin County in numbers
- Design roof snow load21 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map30 psf
- National rank#410 of 2,758
- Pennsylvania rank#10 of 38
- Population159,285
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal30.8 in.
- FIPS42055
Where Franklin County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Franklin County sits at #410, the top 15% nationally - #10 of 38 within Pennsylvania. 20.9 psf is Pennsylvania's typical county figure - Franklin County beats it by 0.1 psf.
Near 39.9268°N 77.7245°W, FIPS 42055: Franklin County counts 159,285 residents and a 30 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 21 psf.
How much it actually snows in Franklin County
Most winters bring Franklin County roughly 30.8 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at CHAMBERSBURG 1 ESE, PA US, 4.5 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Franklin 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 Franklin County's county-wide figure. See the methodology guide.