Van Buren County, IA Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Van Buren County, IA?
20 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Van Buren County to carry. ASCE 7's low-slope-roof minimum (§7.3.4) raises the governing figure to 20 psf - higher than the 14 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. 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.
Van Buren County, IA: quick facts
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map20 psf
- National rank#1,166 of 2,758
- Iowa rank#93 of 99
- Population7,217
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal21.7 in.
- FIPS19177
How Van Buren County compares
20 psf ranks #1,166 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 42%) - and #93 of 99 in Iowa. 21.7 psf is Iowa's typical county figure - Van Buren County comes in 1.7 psf under it.
Population 7,217 (FIPS 19177), roughly 40.7541°N 91.9529°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 Van Buren County, IA
NOAA's 30-year normal for Van Buren County: 21.7 in. of snow a year, from the FAIRFIELD, IA US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Van Buren 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.
Van Buren 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.)