Kane County, IL Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Kane County
That's Kane County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. §7.3.4's low-slope minimum of 20 psf is what actually governs on a flat or low-pitch roof here - higher than the 17.5 psf the base ground-load formula gives.
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. A meaningful design load. Most homes built to modern code handle it, but additions, carports, and flat-roofed sections are worth a second look.
Kane County in numbers
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map25 psf
- National rank#541 of 2,758
- Illinois rank#5 of 102
- Population520,997
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal38.5 in.
- FIPS17089
Where Kane County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Kane County sits at #541, the top 20% nationally - #5 of 102 within Illinois. That's 0.7 psf above Illinois's own county-average design load of 19.3 psf.
Near 41.9396°N 88.428°W, FIPS 17089: Kane County counts 520,997 residents and a 25 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 20 psf.
How much it actually snows in Kane County
Most winters bring Kane County roughly 38.5 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at ELBURN, IL US, 5.1 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Kane 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 Kane County's county-wide figure. See the methodology guide.