Polk County, MO Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Polk County
That's Polk County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. §7.3.4's low-slope minimum of 20 psf is what actually governs on a flat or low-pitch roof here - higher than the 14 psf the base ground-load formula gives.
Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 44 in. of fresh powder, 16 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 4 in. if it's turned to 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.
Polk County, MO: quick facts
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map20 psf
- National rank#841 of 2,758
- Missouri rank#25 of 115
- Population33,070
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal9 in.
- FIPS29167
Where Polk County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Polk County sits at #841, the top 30% nationally - #25 of 115 within Missouri. That's 1.4 psf above Missouri's own county-average design load of 18.6 psf.
Near 37.6168°N 93.4008°W, FIPS 29167: Polk County counts 33,070 residents and a 20 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 20 psf.
How much it actually snows in Polk County
Most winters bring Polk County roughly 9 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at BUFFALO 2N, MO US, 16.4 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Polk 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 Polk County's county-wide figure. (How this figure is calculated.)