SnowLoadCheck

Marion County, OH Roof Snow Load - 20 psf

Marion County, OH: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English

Moderate
20 psf

Marion County's roofs are built to hold 20 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first. ASCE 7's low-slope-roof minimum (§7.3.4) raises the governing figure to 20 psf - higher than the 14 psf the ground-load formula alone would give, and the code says use the larger one.

In depth, not weight: that's roughly 44 inches of fresh, light snow, 16 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 4 inches of solid ice - snow that heavy is rare here but ice from a freeze-thaw cycle adds up far faster than the depth suggests. 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.

Marion County at a glance

Marion County by the numbers

Nationally that's #698 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 25%; within Ohio alone, Marion County ranks #35 of 86. Marion County's figure lands almost exactly on Ohio's own county-average of 20 psf.

Marion County, FIPS 39101, is home to 64,976 people near 40.588°N 83.1688°W. Its 20 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 20 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.

Marion County's snowfall, most winters

23.8 in. a year: that's Marion County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at MARION 2 N, OH US (2.7 mi away). See the density guide.

Before you rely on Marion County's number

Treat the Marion County figure as a starting point, not a final answer: it assumes standard occupancy, a heated structure and a moderately sheltered site, per ASCE 7-22's own defaults. Exposed terrain, an unheated building or a steeper roof all shift the real number.

For a real application, skip the county number and go straight to the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool - enter your coordinates and it returns a site-specific figure a plan reviewer will recognize. See the methodology guide.