Lake County, IN Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Lake County
That's Lake County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. ASCE 7's low-slope-roof minimum (§7.3.4) raises the governing figure to 20 psf - higher than the 17.5 psf the ground-load formula alone would give, and the code says use the larger one.
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.
Lake County, IN: quick facts
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map25 psf
- National rank#543 of 2,758
- Indiana rank#2 of 89
- Population502,955
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal26.6 in.
- FIPS18089
Where Lake County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Lake County sits at #543, the top 20% nationally - #2 of 89 within Indiana. Indiana counties average 19.3 psf; Lake County runs 0.7 psf higher than that.
Near 41.4722°N 87.3743°W, FIPS 18089: Lake County counts 502,955 residents and a 25 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 20 psf.
How much it actually snows in Lake County
Most winters bring Lake County roughly 26.6 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at CROWN PT 1N, IN US, 2.5 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Lake 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 Lake County's county-wide figure. See the methodology guide.