Ottawa County, KS Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Ottawa County, KS?
20 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Ottawa County to carry. 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.
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. 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.
Ottawa County, KS: quick facts
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map20 psf
- National rank#1,198 of 2,758
- Kansas rank#41 of 105
- Population5,853
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal17.6 in.
- FIPS20143
How Ottawa County compares
20 psf ranks #1,198 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 43%) - and #41 of 105 in Kansas. Kansas counties average 18.2 psf; Ottawa County runs 1.8 psf higher than that.
Population 5,853 (FIPS 20143), roughly 39.138°N 97.6548°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 Ottawa County, KS
NOAA's 30-year normal for Ottawa County: 17.6 in. of snow a year, from the MINNEAPOLIS, KS US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Ottawa 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.
Ottawa 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.