Weld County, CO Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Weld County, CO?
20 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Weld 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.
Got real snow on a Weld County roof right now?
Weld County, CO: quick facts
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map20 psf
- National rank#556 of 2,758
- Colorado rank#5 of 24
- Population369,745
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal32.7 in.
- FIPS08123
How Weld County compares
20 psf ranks #556 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 20%) - and #5 of 24 in Colorado. That's 2.3 psf above Colorado's own county-average design load of 17.7 psf.
Population 369,745 (FIPS 08123), roughly 40.556°N 104.3837°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 Weld County, CO
NOAA's 30-year normal for Weld County: 32.7 in. of snow a year, from the GREELEY 3.9 ENE, CO US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Weld 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.
Weld 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.)