Marathon County, WI Roof Snow Load - 35 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Marathon County, WI?
35 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Marathon County to carry.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 77 in. if it's fresh powder, 28 in. once it settles, or a mere 7 in. if it's ice. A load this size is a serious structural matter; pre-modern-code homes and low-slope or flat-roofed sections are the ones most worth an inspection.
Marathon County at a glance
- Design roof snow load35 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map50 psf
- National rank#105 of 2,758
- Wisconsin rank#18 of 72
- Population139,091
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal64.3 in.
- FIPS55073
How Marathon County compares
35 psf ranks #105 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 4%) - and #18 of 72 in Wisconsin. 30.9 psf is Wisconsin's typical county figure - Marathon County beats it by 4.1 psf.
Population 139,091 (FIPS 55073), roughly 44.898°N 89.7578°W. The 50 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 35 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Marathon County, WI
NOAA's 30-year normal for Marathon County: 64.3 in. of snow a year, from the WAUSAU DWTN AP, WI US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Marathon 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.
Marathon 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.)