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Lakewood, CO Frost Depth & Snow Load: Ground Snow Load (2026)

Light Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Ground snow load
30 psf, non-reducible
Minimum roof snow/live load
30 psf minimum, stated separately
How it compares
Below Denver (43 psf) and Aurora (40 psf)
Code edition enforced
2021 I-Codes with the 2023 National Electrical Code
Source document
Lakewood Codes and Loads permit handout

Summary

Lakewood sets a ground snow load of 30 pounds per square foot and marks it non-reducible, so the usual code reductions cannot be applied to bring it down.

CITY OF LAKEWOOD DESIGN LOADS — Ground Snow Load: 30 psf non-reducible. Minimum Roof Snow/Live Load: 30 psf (Minimum). Frost Depth: 36 inches. Winter Design Temp: 1°F.

View official code

Full Breakdown

The word that matters in Lakewood's snow entry is non-reducible. The city's Codes and Loads handout gives a ground snow load of 30 psf and attaches that qualifier directly to it, which removes the reduction factors a designer would normally apply when converting a ground load to a roof load. Lakewood pairs it with a separate minimum roof snow or live load, also 30 psf, so the floor and the ground figure coincide. At 30 psf the ground snow load is materially lower than Denver's 43 psf and Aurora's 40 psf, despite Lakewood sitting immediately west of both: a reminder that these values are adopted jurisdiction by jurisdiction in Colorado rather than derived from a regional map. Anyone carrying a Denver design west across the city line is over-specified on snow and correct on frost.

Violations & Fines

Ground snow load is a design input checked at plan review rather than a citable offence. Structural drawings must show the design based on 30 psf without applying reductions, and must also satisfy the separate 30 psf minimum roof snow or live load. Applying a standard reduction to the ground figure is the specific error the non-reducible qualifier exists to prevent.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the ground snow load in Lakewood, Colorado?
30 pounds per square foot, and the city marks it non-reducible, so the reduction factors normally applied when deriving a roof load cannot be used to lower it.
What does non-reducible mean in practice?
It means you design to 30 psf as given. The exposure, thermal and slope reductions a designer would usually apply to convert a ground snow load into a lower roof load are not available here.
Why is Lakewood lower than Denver?
Because Colorado has no statewide code and each jurisdiction adopts its own figure. Lakewood adopted 30 psf while Denver moved to 43 psf in its 2025 code, even though the two share a boundary.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Lakewood

Parking Rules: Overnight ParkingSome RestrictionsBuilding Design CriteriaSome RestrictionsFrost Line DepthSome RestrictionsNoise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor SoundSome RestrictionsNoise Ordinances: Vehicle NoiseSome RestrictionsNoise Ordinances: Barking DogsSome RestrictionsNoise Ordinances: Leaf Blower RulesSome RestrictionsParking Rules: EV ChargingSome Restrictions

All Lakewood rules

Compare Lakewood to another location·View the Colorado frost depth & snow load overview

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