Washington County, NY Roof Snow Load - 28 psf

Washington County, NY roof snow load, translated

On a roof that means 61.6 in. of fresh snow, 22.4 in. once it packs down, or 5.6 in. of solid ice - three very different piles for the same load. A meaningful design load. Most homes built to modern code handle it, but additions, carports, and flat-roofed sections are worth a second look.

Washington County, NY: quick facts

• Design roof snow load28 psf
• Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map40 psf
• National rank#234 of 2,758
• New York rank#10 of 28
• Population59,839
• Annual snowfall, NOAA normal74.6 in.
• FIPS36115

Where Washington County ranks

#10 of 28 New York counties by design load, top 8% of 2,758 nationally - that's Washington County's spot. New York counties average 25.4 psf; Washington County runs 2.6 psf higher than that.

FIPS 36115, population 59,839, centered near 43.3124°N 73.4394°W. ASCE 7's underlying ground snow load here is 40 psf before the code's exposure and importance factors bring it to the 28 psf design figure above.

Washington County: average annual snowfall

Washington County sees about 74.6 in. of snow most winters, per the RUTLAND, VT US station's 1991-2020 NOAA normal. 31.7 mi is a real gap between Washington County and its nearest reporting station, so local snowfall can diverge from this figure, especially near elevation changes. See the density guide.

Read this before you use Washington County's figure

The figure above assumes the case ASCE 7-22 treats as typical: a heated, ordinary-occupancy home on a partially exposed site. Change any of those - exposure, heating, roof pitch, occupancy category - and the real design number moves.

A building permit needs the number at your exact address, not the county average - the free ASCE 7 Hazard Tool returns that from your coordinates in about a minute and produces a PDF a plan reviewer will accept. Details: the calculation guide.