SnowLoadCheck

Minnehaha County, SD Roof Snow Load - 28 psf

What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Minnehaha County

Moderate
28 psf

That's Minnehaha County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from.

Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 61.6 in. of fresh powder, 22.4 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 5.6 in. if it's turned to ice. A meaningful design load. Most homes built to modern code handle it, but additions, carports, and flat-roofed sections are worth a second look.

Minnehaha County at a glance

Where Minnehaha County's figure sits nationally

Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Minnehaha County sits at #223, the top 8% nationally - #21 of 65 within South Dakota. That's 0.2 psf below South Dakota's own county-average design load of 28.2 psf.

Near 43.6675°N 96.7957°W, FIPS 46099: Minnehaha County counts 208,639 residents and a 40 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 28 psf.

How much it actually snows in Minnehaha County

Most winters bring Minnehaha County roughly 45.3 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at SIOUX FALLS, SD US, 6.4 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)

Read this before you rely on it

Minnehaha 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 Minnehaha County's county-wide figure. Details: the calculation guide.