Queens County, NY Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Queens County, NY?
20 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Queens County to carry. §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.
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.
Queens County in numbers
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map20 psf
- National rank#498 of 2,758
- New York rank#24 of 28
- Population2,316,841
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal24.5 in.
- FIPS36081
How Queens County compares
20 psf ranks #498 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 18%) - and #24 of 28 in New York. That's 5.4 psf below New York's own county-average design load of 25.4 psf.
Population 2,316,841 (FIPS 36081), roughly 40.6547°N 73.8412°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 Queens County, NY
NOAA's 30-year normal for Queens County: 24.5 in. of snow a year, from the NY AVE V BROOKLYN, NY US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Queens 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.
Queens 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.