Union County, OH Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Union County, OH?
20 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Union County to carry. Flat and low-pitch roofs in Union County are actually governed by ASCE 7's §7.3.4 minimum of 20 psf, not the 14 psf the ground-load formula alone would produce.
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.
Snow on Union County's roofs right now?
Union County, OH: quick facts
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map20 psf
- National rank#689 of 2,758
- Ohio rank#34 of 86
- Population71,721
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal24 in.
- FIPS39159
How Union County compares
20 psf ranks #689 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 25%) - and #34 of 86 in Ohio. Union County's figure lands almost exactly on Ohio's own county-average of 20 psf.
Population 71,721 (FIPS 39159), roughly 40.2959°N 83.367°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, OH
NOAA's 30-year normal for Union County: 24 in. of snow a year, from the MARYSVILLE, OH 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. Details: the calculation guide.