Union County, IN Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Union County, IN?
20 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Union County to carry. 14 psf is what the ground-load formula alone gives; Union County's 20 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: 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.
Union County at a glance
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map20 psf
- National rank#1,172 of 2,758
- Indiana rank#75 of 89
- Population6,884
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal24.9 in.
- FIPS18161
How Union County compares
20 psf ranks #1,172 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 42%) - and #75 of 89 in Indiana. That's 0.7 psf above Indiana's own county-average design load of 19.3 psf.
Population 6,884 (FIPS 18161), roughly 39.6231°N 84.9251°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 Union County, IN
NOAA's 30-year normal for Union County: 24.9 in. of snow a year, from the LIBERTY 3 SSE, IN US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Union 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.
Union 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. See the methodology guide.