How much snow can a roof hold in Metro Detroit?

Published October 23, 2026

Royal Oak's snow load under Michigan's code

Michigan doesn't leave snow loads to each city. Its residential code adds a county table, and for Oakland County it reads 25 pounds per square foot (psf) everywhere in the county, Royal Oak included. That's a ground snow load: the weight of snow on open ground that designers plan for.

A roof isn't the ground. FEMA's Snow Load Safety Guide says "One foot of snow on the ground does not necessarily equal 1 foot of snow on a roof", because slope, shape, wind, obstructions and how warm the roof is all change what settles there. Michigan's own truss design sheet lets new roofs use the full 25 psf as the design roof snow load in some cases and 0.7 of it in others.

Snow loads in Michigan's residential code

From the 2015 Michigan Residential Code as amended by Michigan rule R 408.30515, checked October 22, 2026. The 2021 code was due to take effect on August 29, 2025, but LARA says the 2015 code remains in effect while a Michigan Court of Claims order of July 7, 2025 stays in place; the 2021 text also keeps Oakland County at 25 psf. These are design figures for new work, not the capacity of any existing roof.

How much snow and ice weigh on a roof

Depth alone doesn't tell you the load. FEMA's range for a foot of fresh snow runs from 3 to 21 lb per square foot, seven times as heavy at the wet end, and ice is heavier still.

Weight of snow and ice per square foot of roof

FEMA P-957, Snow Load Safety Guide (January 2013); IBHS Commercial Risk Engineering Bulletin: Winter Weather (November 2019), written for commercial buildings. Checked October 22, 2026.

By our arithmetic, two feet of wet, heavy snow at FEMA's top figure is 2 × 21 = 42 lb per sq ft, while two feet of light powder is 2 × 3 = 6. That's why a snowfall total on the news doesn't tell you much about your roof; what fell, and whether rain or a thaw followed, matters more.

How much snow Metro Detroit gets

• 45.0 inches a season is the 1991–2020 normal at Detroit Metro Airport, with 35.4 inches of it from December to February (NOAA)
• 94.9 inches in 2013–14 is the snowiest Detroit-area season since records began in 1880 (National Weather Service)
• 24.5 inches on April 6, 1886 is Detroit's heaviest single snowstorm on record; 16.7 inches fell on February 1–2, 2015
• 23.5, 28.7 and 39.5 inches fell in the last three seasons, 2023–24 to 2025–26, all below normal
• November 16 is the average date of the first measurable snow in Detroit, and April 7 the last

Snow also builds up. IBHS's 60 lb figure is for old snow with new snow on top, which is how a long cold spell loads a roof, and freeze–thaw cycles add ice at the eaves (see ice dams).

Older homes, porch roofs and garages

FEMA says "A building constructed 40 years ago may not have been designed for snow loads as they are understood today", and that wood-framed buildings are lightweight and may be more susceptible to excess snow. Most of Royal Oak's bungalows, colonials and Tudors were framed long before Michigan had a county snow table.

FEMA's advice for knowing what a building was designed for is its construction drawings. "If there are no drawings, retain the services of a licensed design professional before the snow season to determine structural capacity." For most houses that means a structural engineer. Maine's emergency management agency, quoting IBHS, says owners of an older home or roof, "especially if you have had problems before", might want to figure on a lower load than a newer roof.

Lower roofs and porches

FEMA lists roof shape and obstructions among the things that change roof snow load, so the load isn't even across a house. Snow sliding off a steep main roof lands on whatever sits below it: a porch roof, a bay window or an attached garage.

Detached garages and low-slope roofs

FEMA's warning signs include water ponding on low-slope roofs, which adds weight on top of the snow. See the garage roof replacement page if an older garage roof is already sagging.

Warning signs a roof is overloaded with snow

FEMA's list of warning signs, for homes and other buildings, includes:

• Sagging ceilings or ceiling boards
• Popping, cracking and creaking noises
• Sagging roof framing or roof sheathing
• Doors or windows that suddenly won't open or close
• Cracked or split wood members, and cracks in walls or masonry
• Severe roof leaks

When and how to remove snow from a roof

FEMA's starting point is reassuring: "Most buildings are not at risk of snow induced failure. More often than not, attempting to remove snow from a roof is more hazardous than beneficial." There's no Michigan rule on when to clear a roof. If you're worried about the depth, the weight of wet snow or ice building at the eaves, FEMA's advice is:

• Work from the ground with a non-metallic roof rake, and stay back from the eave: roof snow "can slide at any moment"
• Leave at least 2 inches of snow on the roof rather than scraping down to the shingles
• Don't use sharp tools such as picks
• For anything you can't reach from the ground, hire "a licensed, insured professional roofing contractor who has experience in removing snow from roofs"

Maine's emergency management agency adds two cautions that apply anywhere: an aluminum rake conducts electricity, so stay well away from where the power lines reach the house, and say no to climbing ladders in snow and ice. The ice dams guide covers what to do when ice is already backing up under the shingles.

Roof snow removal cost

Published roof snow removal prices

As published, checked October 22, 2026. Butcher & Butcher's page (modified September 1, 2026) says price depends on roof size and pitch, access, snow depth and ice dams, and gives no exact figure. Fixr's figures are national and were last updated January 31, 2025. We found no Royal Oak roofer publishing a snow removal price.

Does homeowners insurance cover snow damage to a roof?

Often, but it depends on the policy. Triple-I, the insurance industry's information institute, says standard homeowners policies "generally cover winter storm losses such as water damage from burst pipes and damage to structures caused by fallen trees and the weight of ice and snow," and that homeowners insurance covers "damage resulting from ice dams on your roof." It also says a standard policy won't pay for routine wear and tear, so a claim can turn on the roof's condition before the storm.

Read your own policy for the perils it covers and your deductible, photograph the damage, and call your insurer before committing to permanent repairs. The roof insurance claim guide covers how Michigan claims work.

Who to call after snow damage

• Signs of structural strain (sagging, cracking, doors sticking): a structural engineer, as FEMA advises
• Leaks, ice damage, broken gutters or shingles: a licensed roofer. In Michigan, roofing on a home for pay needs a Residential Builder or Maintenance and Alteration contractor license, which you can check on LARA's licensee search
• Snow you can't reach from the ground: a licensed, insured roofing contractor that does snow removal

Questions about roof snow load