Mille Lacs County, MN Roof Snow Load - 42 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Mille Lacs County, MN?
42 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Mille Lacs County to carry.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 92.4 in. if it's fresh powder, 33.6 in. once it settles, or a mere 8.4 in. if it's ice. This is a serious structural load - older homes built before modern snow-load provisions, or ones with low-slope or flat roof sections, are worth having checked.
Mille Lacs County at a glance
- Design roof snow load42 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map60 psf
- National rank#47 of 2,758
- Minnesota rank#15 of 87
- Population27,577
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal31.6 in.
- FIPS27095
How Mille Lacs County compares
42 psf ranks #47 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 2%) - and #15 of 87 in Minnesota. Minnesota counties average 37.4 psf; Mille Lacs County runs 4.6 psf higher than that.
Population 27,577 (FIPS 27095), roughly 45.9293°N 93.6327°W. The 60 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 42 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Mille Lacs County, MN
NOAA's 30-year normal for Mille Lacs County: 31.6 in. of snow a year, from the ONAMIA RS, MN US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Mille Lacs 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.
Mille Lacs 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. Details: the calculation guide.