Oconto County, WI Roof Snow Load - 35 psf

How much snow is too much for a roof in Oconto County, WI?

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.

Oconto County in numbers

• Design roof snow load35 psf
• Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map50 psf
• National rank#133 of 2,758
• Wisconsin rank#28 of 72
• Population40,037
• Annual snowfall, NOAA normal50.4 in.
• FIPS55083

How Oconto County compares

35 psf ranks #133 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 5%) - and #28 of 72 in Wisconsin. That's 4.1 psf above Wisconsin's own county-average design load of 30.9 psf.

Population 40,037 (FIPS 55083), roughly 44.9966°N 88.2065°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 Oconto County, WI

NOAA's 30-year normal for Oconto County: 50.4 in. of snow a year, from the PULASKI WWTP, WI US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)

What this Oconto 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.

Oconto 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. See the methodology guide.