Las Animas County, CO Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Las Animas County
That's Las Animas County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. The physics-based figure alone would be 14 psf, but ASCE 7's own low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) sets a floor of 20 psf for flat and low-pitch roofs here, which is the number that actually governs.
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. 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.
Got real snow on a Las Animas County roof right now?
Las Animas County in numbers
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map20 psf
- National rank#1,038 of 2,758
- Colorado rank#12 of 24
- Population14,518
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal55.1 in.
- FIPS08071
Where Las Animas County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Las Animas County sits at #1,038, the top 38% nationally - #12 of 24 within Colorado. Colorado counties average 17.7 psf; Las Animas County runs 2.3 psf higher than that.
Near 37.3188°N 104.0441°W, FIPS 08071: Las Animas County counts 14,518 residents and a 20 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 20 psf.
How much it actually snows in Las Animas County
Most winters bring Las Animas County roughly 55.1 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at TRINIDAD, CO US, 26.2 mi off. 26.2 mi is a real gap between Las Animas County and its nearest reporting station, so local snowfall can diverge from this figure, especially near elevation changes. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Las Animas 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 Las Animas County's county-wide figure. See the methodology guide.