Todd County, SD Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Todd County, SD?
20 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Todd County to carry. ASCE 7's low-slope-roof minimum (§7.3.4) raises the governing figure to 20 psf - higher than the 17.5 psf the ground-load formula alone would give, and the code says use the larger one.
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. Modern-code homes carry a load like this without issue; an older addition, a carport, or any flat-roofed section is where it is worth checking first.
Todd County, SD: quick facts
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map25 psf
- National rank#1,121 of 2,758
- South Dakota rank#62 of 65
- Population9,172
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal41.5 in.
- FIPS46121
How Todd County compares
20 psf ranks #1,121 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 41%) - and #62 of 65 in South Dakota. 28.2 psf is South Dakota's typical county figure - Todd County comes in 8.2 psf under it.
Population 9,172 (FIPS 46121), roughly 43.2088°N 100.7077°W. The 25 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 20 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Todd County, SD
NOAA's 30-year normal for Todd County: 41.5 in. of snow a year, from the MISSION, SD US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Todd 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.
Todd 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.)