Morgan County, CO Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Morgan County, CO?
20 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Morgan County to carry. 14 psf is what the ground-load formula alone gives; Morgan 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.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 44 in. if it's fresh powder, 16 in. once it settles, or a mere 4 in. if it's 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.
Morgan County in numbers
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map20 psf
- National rank#860 of 2,758
- Colorado rank#8 of 24
- Population30,300
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal22.7 in.
- FIPS08087
How Morgan County compares
20 psf ranks #860 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 31%) - and #8 of 24 in Colorado. Colorado counties average 17.7 psf; Morgan County runs 2.3 psf higher than that.
Population 30,300 (FIPS 08087), roughly 40.2621°N 103.8072°W. The 20 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 20 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Morgan County, CO
NOAA's 30-year normal for Morgan County: 22.7 in. of snow a year, from the FT MORGAN, CO US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Morgan 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.
Morgan 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.