SnowLoadCheck

Sumner County, KS Roof Snow Load - 15 psf

How much snow is too much for a roof in Sumner County, KS?

Moderate
15 psf

15 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Sumner County to carry. 10.5 psf is what the ground-load formula alone gives; Sumner County's 15 psf low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) beats it, so that figure is the one that governs on flat and low-pitch roofs.

Picture it, not just weigh it: 33 in. if it's fresh powder, 12 in. once it settles, or a mere 3 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.

Already snow on the roof in Sumner County?

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Sumner County in numbers

How Sumner County compares

15 psf ranks #1,451 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 53%) - and #79 of 105 in Kansas. Kansas counties average 18.2 psf; Sumner County runs 3.2 psf lower than that.

Population 22,336 (FIPS 20191), roughly 37.2367°N 97.4934°W. The 15 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 15 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.

Typical snowfall in Sumner County, KS

NOAA's 30-year normal for Sumner County: 9.2 in. of snow a year, from the WELLINGTON, KS US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)

What this Sumner 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.

Sumner 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. (How this figure is calculated.)