Massachusetts Statewide Rule
Massachusetts Ground Snow Load by City and Town
Key Facts
- Range across the state
- 25 psf to 60 psf ground snow load
- Municipalities listed
- All 351, individually, in state regulation
- Most common value
- 50 psf (123 municipalities), then 40 psf (92)
- Code edition enforced
- 2021 International Residential Code as amended by 780 CMR 51.00 (10th edition)
- Effective
- October 11, 2024; sole code in effect after June 30, 2025
- Footnoted municipalities
- 11 in a Special Wind Region, 21 in a Windborne Debris Region
Summary
Massachusetts publishes a ground snow load for every one of its 351 cities and towns in a single state table, ranging from 25 psf on the Cape and Islands to 60 psf in the hill towns.
Table 301.2(1) Climatic and Geographic Design Criteria — GROUND SNOW LOAD: Table R301.2(2). WIND DESIGN, Speed (mph): Table R301.2(2). Add new Table 301.2(2) — Table 301.2(2) SNOW LOADS AND WIND SPEEDS. Note 1: The design flat roof snow load shall be the larger of the calculated flat roof snow load using Pg or the value of Pf1 listed in this table. Note 2: Special Wind Region. Specific locations within these municipalities may have conditions that cause higher wind speeds than the tabulated values. Note 3: Windborne Debris Region. Specific locations within these municipalities may be within a Windborne Debris Region (with Vult 130 mph or more) as defined in 780 CMR R202.0.
Full Breakdown
2 for each jurisdiction to fill in, Massachusetts fills it in centrally. 2(2), which lists every municipality in the Commonwealth with three values: the ground snow load Pg in pounds per square foot, a minimum flat roof snow load Pf, and the ultimate design wind speed in miles per hour. Ground snow loads run from 25 psf to 60 psf. The lowest figures are coastal, Nantucket, Provincetown and the Islands at 25 psf, and the highest are inland and upland, with 60 psf in the Berkshire and Worcester County hill towns.
Boston is 40 psf, Worcester 50 psf, Springfield 35 psf. Because the table is part of the state regulation, the number for your town is not a local ordinance you need to hunt for; it is fixed statewide and your building department applies it directly.
Ground snow load by town in Massachusetts
Every one of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts, with the value the state adopted for it. Shaded low to high, 6 values are in use, from 25 to 60 psf.
Fixed statewide (the same everywhere in Massachusetts)
- Frost depth
- 48 in
- Weathering
- Severe
- Termite risk
- Moderate to heavy
Source: 780 CMR 51.00, Table R301.2(2) (Massachusetts Residential Code, 10th edition). Code edition: 2021 International Residential Code as amended by 780 CMR 51.00 (10th edition). Effective 2024-10-11. Values are the jurisdiction's adopted figures; confirm with your building department before relying on them for a design.
Violations & Penalties
The ground snow load is a design input rather than a rule you can be cited for breaking. It is enforced through plan review: structural drawings submitted with a building permit must show the roof designed for the load listed for that municipality, and a plan reviewer will reject drawings that use a lower figure. Two municipality footnotes can raise the requirement further, a Special Wind Region note applies to 11 towns and a Windborne Debris Region note to 21, both of which can drive site-specific values above the tabulated ones.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ground snow load for my Massachusetts town?
Is the ground snow load set by my city or by the state?
Why is the snow load lower on Cape Cod than in the Berkshires?
Sources
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