Waukesha County, WI Roof Snow Load - 21 psf
Waukesha County, WI roof snow load, translated
A typical heated home in Waukesha County is designed to carry 21 pounds per square foot of snow on its roof, per ASCE 7-22.
On a roof that means 46.2 in. of fresh snow, 16.8 in. once it packs down, or 4.2 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.
Waukesha County in numbers
- Design roof snow load21 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map30 psf
- National rank#394 of 2,758
- Wisconsin rank#58 of 72
- Population417,029
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal36.9 in.
- FIPS55133
Where Waukesha County ranks
#58 of 72 Wisconsin counties by design load, top 14% of 2,758 nationally - that's Waukesha County's spot. Wisconsin counties average 30.9 psf; Waukesha County runs 9.9 psf lower than that.
FIPS 55133, population 417,029, centered near 43.0184°N 88.3042°W. ASCE 7's underlying ground snow load here is 30 psf before the code's exposure and importance factors bring it to the 21 psf design figure above.
Waukesha County: average annual snowfall
Waukesha County sees about 36.9 in. of snow most winters, per the WAUKESHA WWTP, WI US station's 1991-2020 NOAA normal. See the density guide.
Read this before you use Waukesha 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.