SnowLoadCheck

Lorain County, OH Roof Snow Load - 20 psf

What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Lorain County

Moderate
20 psf

That's Lorain County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. 14 psf is what the ground-load formula alone gives; Lorain 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.

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.

Lorain County, OH: quick facts

Where Lorain County's figure sits nationally

Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Lorain County sits at #560, the top 20% nationally - #9 of 86 within Ohio. Lorain County's figure lands almost exactly on Ohio's own county-average of 20 psf.

Near 41.4388°N 82.1797°W, FIPS 39093: Lorain County counts 322,030 residents and a 20 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 20 psf.

How much it actually snows in Lorain County

Most winters bring Lorain County roughly 43.6 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at ELYRIA 3 E, OH US, 7.5 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)

Read this before you rely on it

Lorain 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 Lorain County's county-wide figure. See the methodology guide.