SnowLoadCheck

Kiowa County, KS Roof Snow Load - 15 psf

Kiowa County, KS: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English

Moderate
15 psf

Kiowa County's roofs are built to hold 15 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first. Flat and low-pitch roofs in Kiowa County are actually governed by ASCE 7's §7.3.4 minimum of 15 psf, not the 10.5 psf the ground-load formula alone would produce.

In depth, not weight: that's roughly 33 inches of fresh, light snow, 12 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 3 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. 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.

Kiowa County, KS: quick facts

Kiowa County by the numbers

Nationally that's #1,638 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 59%; within Kansas alone, Kiowa County ranks #100 of 105. That's 3.2 psf below Kansas's own county-average design load of 18.2 psf.

Kiowa County, FIPS 20097, is home to 2,436 people near 37.5612°N 99.2865°W. Its 15 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 15 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.

Kiowa County's snowfall, most winters

16.3 in. a year: that's Kiowa County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at GREENSBURG, KS US (3 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. Details: the calculation guide.