Grand Forks County, ND Roof Snow Load - 42 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Grand Forks County, ND?
42 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Grand Forks County to carry.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 92.4 in. if it's fresh powder, 33.6 in. once it settles, or a mere 8.4 in. if it's ice. This is a serious structural load - older homes built before modern snow-load provisions, or ones with low-slope or flat roof sections, are worth having checked.
Already snow on the roof in Grand Forks County?
Grand Forks County in numbers
- Design roof snow load42 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map60 psf
- National rank#28 of 2,758
- North Dakota rank#1 of 49
- Population73,771
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal48.4 in.
- FIPS38035
How Grand Forks County compares
42 psf ranks #28 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 1%) - and #1 of 49 in North Dakota. That's 12.6 psf above North Dakota's own county-average design load of 29.4 psf.
Population 73,771 (FIPS 38035), roughly 47.926°N 97.4509°W. The 60 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 42 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Grand Forks County, ND
NOAA's 30-year normal for Grand Forks County: 48.4 in. of snow a year, from the GRAND FORKS INTL AP, ND US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Grand Forks 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.
Grand Forks 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. Details: the calculation guide.