SnowLoadCheck

Jackson County, SD 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 17.5 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. 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.

Already snow on the roof in Jackson County?

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Jackson County in numbers

Where Jackson County's figure sits nationally

Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Jackson County sits at #1,260, the top 46% nationally - #64 of 65 within South Dakota. South Dakota counties average 28.2 psf; Jackson County runs 8.2 psf lower than that.

Near 43.6775°N 101.6263°W, FIPS 46071: Jackson County counts 2,737 residents and a 25 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 38 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at INTERIOR 3 NE, SD US, 16.5 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.)