Licking County, OH Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Licking County, OH?
20 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Licking County to carry. 14 psf is what the ground-load formula alone gives; Licking County's 20 psf low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) beats it, so that figure is the one that governs on flat and low-pitch roofs.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 44 in. if it's fresh powder, 16 in. once it settles, or a mere 4 in. if it's 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.
Licking County in numbers
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map20 psf
- National rank#593 of 2,758
- Ohio rank#15 of 86
- Population184,898
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal15.2 in.
- FIPS39089
How Licking County compares
20 psf ranks #593 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 22%) - and #15 of 86 in Ohio. Licking County's figure lands almost exactly on Ohio's own county-average of 20 psf.
Population 184,898 (FIPS 39089), roughly 40.0915°N 82.4834°W. The 20 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 20 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Licking County, OH
NOAA's 30-year normal for Licking County: 15.2 in. of snow a year, from the NEWARK WTR WKS, OH US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Licking County figure assumes
This is a county-level reference figure for a typical heated home built to Risk Category II (ordinary residential), on a partially exposed lot - the assumptions ASCE 7-22 itself treats as the default case. A steeper roof, a fully exposed hilltop lot, an unheated structure, or a higher risk category all change the actual number.
Licking County's permit office wants an address-specific figure, not this county average - the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool is free, takes under a minute, and outputs a PDF most reviewers accept. (How this figure is calculated.)