Cleveland, OH Frost Depth & Snow Load: Building Design Criteria (2026)
Key Facts
- Wind exposure
- Category B; Category D within 600 feet of the Lake Erie shoreline
- Seismic design category
- B
- Weathering
- Severe
- Termite / decay
- Moderate to Heavy / Slight to Moderate
- Ice shield underlayment
- Required
- Currency
- Sheet dated 2008; 90 mph wind uses the older convention: confirm before relying on wind figures
Summary
Cleveland's design criteria sheet sets seismic category B, Severe weathering and required ice shield underlayment, and changes the wind exposure category within 600 feet of the Lake Erie shoreline.
City of Cleveland — Climatic and Geographic Design Criteria. WIND SPEED: 90 Miles per hour; Exposure Category: B (Exposure Category: D within six hundred feet (600') of Lake Erie shoreline.) SEISMIC DESIGN CATEGORY: B. SUBJECT TO DAMAGE FROM WEATHERING: SEVERE. SUBJECT TO DAMAGE FROM TERMITES: MODERATE to HEAVY. SUBJECT TO DAMAGE FROM DECAY: SLIGHT to MODERATE. WINTER DESIGN TEMPERATURE: 5° F. ICE SHIELD UNDERLAYMENT REQUIRED: YES.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
Cleveland publishes the criteria Ohio leaves to the jurisdiction in a single sheet, and one entry stands out. Wind exposure is Category B across the city, except within six hundred feet of the Lake Erie shoreline, where it becomes Category D. That is a geographically specific rule of the kind almost no other jurisdiction in this category publishes, and it materially changes the wind loads on a lakefront project. The seismic design category is B, weathering is Severe, termite risk is Moderate to Heavy and decay Slight to Moderate.
The winter design temperature is 5°F and ice shield underlayment is required. The sheet also states that these criteria may be used where permitted under Ohio Building Code chapter 16. Currency caveat: the sheet is dated 2008 and its 90 mph wind speed reflects the older allowable-stress convention rather than the ultimate wind speeds the current code works in, so the wind figures in particular should be confirmed with Building and Housing.
Violations & Fines
These criteria are enforced at plan review and inspection rather than as offences in themselves. The exposure-category shift near the shoreline is the entry most likely to be missed, because it depends on distance from Lake Erie rather than on anything visible in the code table, and it raises the design wind loads on exactly the sites where they matter most.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does wind design change near the lake in Cleveland?
What seismic design category applies?
How current are these figures?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cleveland
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