Snow load in Saginaw County, Michigan: pg = 35 psf
The code ground snow load in Saginaw County is 35 psf (1.68 kN/m²) — 51 of 83 counties have a higher value in Michigan. The calculator below is prefilled with that value: choose exposure, thermal condition, risk category and roof slope to get the roof snow load.
| Where | pg (psf) | kN/m² |
|---|---|---|
| All of the county except the jurisdictions below | 35 | 1.68 |
| city of Frankenmuth, village of Birch Run, village of Chesaning, village of Oakley, township of Albee, township of Birch Run, township of Brady, township of Bridgeport, township of Chapin, township of Chesaning, township of Frankenmuth, township of Maple Grove, township of St. Charles, township of Taymouth | 30 | 1.44 |
Educational estimate only. Excludes drifts, sliding snow, rain-on-snow surcharge, unbalanced and partial loads, and any local amendments. ASCE 7-22 changed the method (risk-targeted pg, no Is in pf). Design loads must come from the adopted building code and a licensed engineer.
Check the snow load for a real project
Upload the drawings or describe the roof — Planium works out exposure, drifts at parapets and roof steps, and what to confirm with the Saginaw County building official.
From ground snow load to roof snow load
ASCE 7 converts the ground snow load into a flat roof snow load with pf = 0.7 · Ce · Ct · Is · pg. With pg = 35 psf, a typical heated, partially exposed home in suburban terrain gets pf = 0.7 × 1.0 × 1.0 × 1.0 × 35 = 24.5 psf. Roofs sloped below 15° must also be checked against the minimum load of 20 psf. Steep roofs shed snow, so the sloped roof load ps = Cs · pf falls once the slope passes about 30° on a warm roof.
Drifts usually govern the critical members: snow piles up against parapets, at lower roofs next to taller buildings and in valleys, and can reach several times the balanced load locally.