Pike County, IL Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Pike County, IL?
20 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Pike County to carry. The physics-based figure alone would be 14 psf, but ASCE 7's own low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) sets a floor of 20 psf for flat and low-pitch roofs here, which is the number that actually governs.
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.
Pike County in numbers
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map20 psf
- National rank#1,043 of 2,758
- Illinois rank#69 of 102
- Population14,258
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal15.6 in.
- FIPS17149
How Pike County compares
20 psf ranks #1,043 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 38%) - and #69 of 102 in Illinois. 19.3 psf is Illinois's typical county figure - Pike County beats it by 0.7 psf.
Population 14,258 (FIPS 17149), roughly 39.6251°N 90.889°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 Pike County, IL
NOAA's 30-year normal for Pike County: 15.6 in. of snow a year, from the PITTSFIELD #2, IL US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Pike 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.
Pike 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.