Spokane County Snow Load for Metal Buildings: 39 psf, Deer Park's 56-65 psf and How to Find Your Parcel's Number (2026)

Short answer: inside the City of Spokane and most of unincorporated Spokane County, buildings are designed for a 39 psf ground snow load with a 30 psf minimum roof snow load. But the number climbs fast with elevation. Deer Park's code lists 56 to 65 psf ground snow load, and Spokane County says parts of the county run as high as 150 psf. That's why a metal shop that's fine in the Valley can be under-built on a hill north of town. Here's what the local codes actually say, how ground snow load becomes roof snow load, and how to find the right number for your parcel.

Ground snow load vs. roof snow load

Two numbers show up on permit paperwork, and they aren't the same thing:

• Ground snow load (pg): the weight of snow on the ground at your site, in pounds per square foot, based on long-term weather records and elevation
• Roof snow load (pf): what the roof is actually designed to carry. Engineers calculate it from the ground load using ASCE 7, the structural loads standard the building code points to, adjusting for roof slope, exposure, heated or unheated space and the building's importance
• The County's rule of thumb: Spokane County's Building and Planning FAQ says the ground snow load shown on its map is multiplied by 0.7 to get the roof snow load
• Minimums still apply: where that math comes out low, the local minimum roof snow load governs

Drifts are separate. Snow piles up against taller walls, parapets and where a lean-to meets the main building, and ASCE 7 requires the engineer to design for those drift loads on top of the uniform load.

What the local codes say

• City of Spokane: Spokane Municipal Code 17F.040.105 sets a 39 psf ground snow load and a 30 psf minimum roof snow load, with a 24-inch frost line and severe weathering
• Unincorporated Spokane County: the County's residential permit packet lists a 39 psf ground snow load and a basic minimum roof snow load of 30 psf. The director can require more wherever 30 appears inadequate, based on local climate, topography and the SEAW "Snow Load Analysis for Washington"
• Higher ground in the County: the County's FAQ says some areas carry snow loads as high as 150 psf, and its SCOUT online map has a ground snow load layer you can check by parcel
• City of Deer Park: Municipal Code 15.04.010 lists a ground snow load of 56 to 65 psf, adopts the Spokane County ground and roof snow load maps, sets a 45 psf minimum roof snow load for nonresidential buildings, and requires a 36-inch frost line
• City of Colville: the City's published design criteria call for a 40 psf roof snow load and a 30-inch frost depth. Outside Colville, Stevens County has engineers set the ground snow load from ASCE 7 or the SEAW guidance for the site

If you're in Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, Airway Heights, Cheney or another city, that city's building department confirms the design loads for your address, and we check before we order steel.

Snow loads by town (SEAW recommendations)

The Washington Association of Building Officials and the Structural Engineers Association of Washington publish recommended ground snow loads by town. A few from Eastern Washington show how much elevation matters:

• Spokane (2,000 ft): 39 psf
• Cheney (2,400 ft): 36 psf
• Medical Lake (2,420 ft): 36 psf
• Rockford (2,361 ft): 32 psf
• Deer Park (2,130 ft): 59 psf
• Springdale (2,070 ft): 56 psf
• Colville (1,610 ft): 46 psf
• Chewelah (1,671 ft): 50 psf
• Wellpinit (2,400 ft): 80 psf
• Mount Spokane Ski Area: 120 psf at the bottom (4,600 ft) and 151 psf at the top (5,800 ft)

Deer Park is lower than Cheney but carries far more snow. Elevation is part of it, but local weather patterns matter just as much, which is why you check the map for your parcel instead of guessing from a nearby town.

How snow load changes a metal building

• Frames and purlins: a higher roof load means heavier rafters, closer purlin spacing or deeper purlins. A building engineered for 30 psf can't just be set on a 60 psf lot
• Roof pitch and panels: steeper roofs shed snow better, and sliding snow puts drag on panels and fasteners. Our metal panel guide covers PBR, R-panel, standing seam and snow guards
• Lean-tos and add-ons: a lower roof next to a taller one collects drift and sliding snow, so it's engineered for more than the main roof
• Doors and openings: big roll-up and overhead doors change how the frame is braced, so door sizes are locked in before the engineering is stamped
• Foundations: snow load ends up at the column bases and footings, so the concrete has to be designed for the same loads. Our PEMB foundations guide explains anchor bolts and column reactions
• Low-slope roofs: the WABO/SEAW white paper recommends designers consider slopes of at least 3/8 inch per foot on new flat or low-slope roofs to avoid ponding

How to find your parcel's snow load

• Step 1: find out whether you're inside a city or in unincorporated county. The permit office decides the design criteria
• Step 2: in unincorporated Spokane County, check the ground snow load layer in the County's SCOUT map for your parcel
• Step 3: in a city, check the city's adopted design criteria or ask the building department
• Step 4: make sure the building's stamped engineering lists that ground snow load, and the roof snow load that comes from it, before you sign for the steel

A cheap kit quoted for "30 psf" won't pass plan review on a 60 psf lot. Our kit vs. installed guide covers what else a kit price leaves out.

How Raven handles snow load

Every metal building we supply is engineered for your parcel's snow, wind and seismic loads, with stamped drawings for the permit. Raven isn't tied to one manufacturer, so we source each building from whichever manufacturer can deliver the engineered package fastest. Our own crew pours the footings and slab to the same loads and below the local frost line. See our PEMB lead time guide for a realistic timeline.

Raven's going rate for an installed pre-engineered metal building is about $60 to $75 per sq ft, and pole buildings run about the same in our market. Electrical, plumbing and utility hookups are not included and are extra. Site work like grading and gravel varies by lot.

Building north of Spokane? See our pages for metal buildings in Deer Park, metal buildings in Colville and pre-engineered metal buildings in Mead.

Get a quote engineered for your lot

Call 509-350-2016 or request a free quote with your size, door layout and address or parcel number, and we'll check the snow load before we price it. See our steel building services.

Sources

• Installed pricing: Raven Buildings' current going rate
• Spokane Municipal Code 17F.040.105, Design Criteria
• City of Spokane BUILD-07, Official Frost Depth (City/County joint policy)
• Spokane County Residential Building Permit packet (design criteria)
• Spokane County Building and Planning FAQs (snow load)
• Spokane County SCOUT Ground Snow Load Contours layer
• Deer Park Municipal Code 15.04, Building Codes
• City of Colville Building/Planning FAQs (design criteria)
• WABO/SEAW White Paper 8, Snow Loads in Washington (2020)
• WABO/SEAW Snow Load White Paper (2000), recommended ground snow loads by town