Santa Clara County, CA Roof Snow Load - 0 psf
Santa Clara County, CA: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Santa Clara County's roofs are built to hold 0 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first.
In depth, not weight: that's roughly 0 inches of fresh, light snow, 0 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 0 inches of solid ice - snow that heavy is rare here but ice from a freeze-thaw cycle adds up far faster than the depth suggests. Snow load is not a factor in roof design here at all; the ground snow load figure maps to zero.
Santa Clara County in numbers
- Design roof snow load0 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map0 psf
- National rank#2,481 of 2,758
- California rank#11 of 41
- Population1,926,325
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal18.1 in.
- FIPS06085
Santa Clara County by the numbers
Nationally that's #2,481 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 90%; within California alone, Santa Clara County ranks #11 of 41. California counties average 1.1 psf; Santa Clara County runs 1.1 psf lower than that.
Santa Clara County, FIPS 06085, is home to 1,926,325 people near 37.2216°N 121.6895°W. Its 0 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 0 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Santa Clara County's snowfall, most winters
18.1 in. a year: that's Santa Clara County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at MT HAMILTON, CA US (8.8 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on Santa Clara County's number
Treat the Santa Clara County figure as a starting point, not a final answer: it assumes standard occupancy, a heated structure and a moderately sheltered site, per ASCE 7-22's own defaults. Exposed terrain, an unheated building or a steeper roof all shift the real number.
For a real application, skip the county number and go straight to the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool - enter your coordinates and it returns a site-specific figure a plan reviewer will recognize. Details: the calculation guide.