Grant County, NM Roof Snow Load - 5 psf
Grant County, NM: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Grant County's roofs are built to hold 5 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 5 psf - higher than the 3.5 psf the ground-load formula alone would give, and the code says use the larger one.
In depth, not weight: that's roughly 11 inches of fresh, light snow, 4 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 1 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. Standard residential construction handles a load this size without extra bracing; it is a modest addition on top of ordinary roof loading.
Grant County at a glance
- Design roof snow load5 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map5 psf
- National rank#2,246 of 2,758
- New Mexico rank#18 of 27
- Population27,541
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal13.1 in.
- FIPS35017
Grant County by the numbers
Nationally that's #2,246 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 81%; within New Mexico alone, Grant County ranks #18 of 27. That's 1.9 psf below New Mexico's own county-average design load of 6.9 psf.
Grant County, FIPS 35017, is home to 27,541 people near 32.7321°N 108.3815°W. Its 5 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 5 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Grant County's snowfall, most winters
13.1 in. a year: that's Grant County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at WHITE SIGNAL, NM US (11.8 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on Grant County's number
Treat the Grant 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. See the methodology guide.