Geary County, KS Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Geary County, KS?
20 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Geary County to carry. 14 psf is what the ground-load formula alone gives; Geary County's 20 psf low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) beats it, so that figure is the one that governs on flat and low-pitch roofs.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 44 in. if it's fresh powder, 16 in. once it settles, or a mere 4 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.
Geary County at a glance
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map20 psf
- National rank#817 of 2,758
- Kansas rank#9 of 105
- Population35,459
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal16.3 in.
- FIPS20061
How Geary County compares
20 psf ranks #817 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 30%) - and #9 of 105 in Kansas. That's 1.8 psf above Kansas's own county-average design load of 18.2 psf.
Population 35,459 (FIPS 20061), roughly 39.0021°N 96.7681°W. The 20 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 20 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Geary County, KS
NOAA's 30-year normal for Geary County: 16.3 in. of snow a year, from the WHITE CITY, KS US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Geary 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.
Geary 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.