SnowLoadCheck

Jackson County, IN Roof Snow Load - 20 psf

What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Jackson County

Moderate
20 psf

That's Jackson 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 Jackson 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.

Jackson County at a glance

Where Jackson County's figure sits nationally

Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Jackson County sits at #744, the top 27% nationally - #24 of 89 within Indiana. Indiana counties average 19.3 psf; Jackson County runs 0.7 psf higher than that.

Near 38.912°N 86.0425°W, FIPS 18071: Jackson County counts 47,420 residents and a 20 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 20 psf.

How much it actually snows in Jackson County

Most winters bring Jackson County roughly 16.7 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at MEDORA 3 SW, IN US, 12.3 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)

Read this before you rely on it

Jackson 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 Jackson County's county-wide figure. (How this figure is calculated.)