Hancock County, IL Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Hancock County
That's Hancock County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. Flat and low-pitch roofs in Hancock County are actually governed by ASCE 7's §7.3.4 minimum of 20 psf, not the 14 psf the ground-load formula alone would produce.
Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 44 in. of fresh powder, 16 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 4 in. if it's turned to ice. This is a meaningful design load - most modern-code homes handle it fine, though an addition, a carport or a flat-roofed section can be a weak spot.
Hancock County at a glance
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map20 psf
- National rank#992 of 2,758
- Illinois rank#56 of 102
- Population17,008
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal21.5 in.
- FIPS17067
Where Hancock County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Hancock County sits at #992, the top 36% nationally - #56 of 102 within Illinois. 19.3 psf is Illinois's typical county figure - Hancock County beats it by 0.7 psf.
Near 40.4013°N 91.1688°W, FIPS 17067: Hancock County counts 17,008 residents and a 20 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 20 psf.
How much it actually snows in Hancock County
Most winters bring Hancock County roughly 21.5 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at CARTHAGE, IL US, 2.2 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Hancock 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 Hancock County's county-wide figure. See the methodology guide.