How Do I Design My Building to the Correct Snow Load?

Cleary Building Corp. reviews the snow load for your area to determine the minimum design standards. Even if a building permit is not required, we want to make sure we design your building to a minimum snow load.  Cleary Building Corp goes above and beyond to review the county in your area for the minimum snow load.  If a building requires a building permit, you should verify the snow load requirement with permit authority. Additionally, make sure to monitor the snow accumulation on the roof of your building. Snow varies substantially in weight depending on moisture content and density. As a rule of thumb: 2 ft of dry snow weighs about 7 psf, 2 ft of “medium snow” weighs about 24 psf, 2 ft of wet snow weighs about 42 psf, ice weighs about 5 psf per inch.  If you see a lot of snow starting to accumulate you should be proactive to remove the snow from the roof.  Make sure you contract with someone to remove the snow, or to be very safe, remove the snow from the ground level using a snow rake or other means.