SnowLoadCheck

Ingham County, MI Roof Snow Load - 20 psf

What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Ingham County

Moderate
20 psf

That's Ingham County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. ASCE 7's low-slope-roof minimum (§7.3.4) raises the governing figure to 20 psf - higher than the 17.5 psf the ground-load formula alone would give, and the code says use the larger one.

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. Modern-code homes carry a load like this without issue; an older addition, a carport, or any flat-roofed section is where it is worth checking first.

Ingham County at a glance

Where Ingham County's figure sits nationally

Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Ingham County sits at #563, the top 20% nationally - #60 of 70 within Michigan. 31.7 psf is Michigan's typical county figure - Ingham County comes in 11.7 psf under it.

Near 42.6035°N 84.3738°W, FIPS 26065: Ingham County counts 290,427 residents and a 25 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 20 psf.

How much it actually snows in Ingham County

Most winters bring Ingham County roughly 36 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at EAST LANSING 4 S, MI US, 7.5 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)

Read this before you rely on it

Ingham 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 Ingham County's county-wide figure. Details: the calculation guide.