Kiowa County, CO Roof Snow Load - 10 psf
Kiowa County, CO: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Kiowa County's roofs are built to hold 10 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first. 7 psf is what the ground-load formula alone gives; Kiowa County's 10 psf low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) beats it, so that figure is the one that governs on flat and low-pitch roofs.
In depth, not weight: that's roughly 22 inches of fresh, light snow, 8 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 2 inches of solid ice - snow that heavy is rare here but ice from a freeze-thaw cycle adds up far faster than the depth suggests. Standard residential construction handles a load this size without extra bracing; it is a modest addition on top of ordinary roof loading.
Kiowa County in numbers
- Design roof snow load10 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map10 psf
- National rank#2,062 of 2,758
- Colorado rank#24 of 24
- Population1,392
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal13.9 in.
- FIPS08061
Kiowa County by the numbers
Nationally that's #2,062 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 75%; within Colorado alone, Kiowa County ranks #24 of 24. 17.7 psf is Colorado's typical county figure - Kiowa County comes in 7.7 psf under it.
Kiowa County, FIPS 08061, is home to 1,392 people near 38.3877°N 102.7568°W. Its 10 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 10 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Kiowa County's snowfall, most winters
13.9 in. a year: that's Kiowa County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at EADS, CO US (6.2 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on Kiowa County's number
Treat the Kiowa County figure as a starting point, not a final answer: it assumes standard occupancy, a heated structure and a moderately sheltered site, per ASCE 7-22's own defaults. Exposed terrain, an unheated building or a steeper roof all shift the real number.
For a real application, skip the county number and go straight to the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool - enter your coordinates and it returns a site-specific figure a plan reviewer will recognize. See the methodology guide.