Vermont Snow Loads and Metal Roofs

Figures retrieved July 5, 2026 from the sources linked below.

Every roof in Vermont is designed against a number most homeowners never see: the adopted ground snow load for their town. This guide publishes those numbers for the towns we cover, explains the statewide rules that sit on top of them, and connects the figures to the standing seam engineering decisions they drive. Every claim links its source.

Ground snow loads by Vermont town

Vermont adopts ground snow loads town by town in four brackets: 40, 50, 60, and 70 psf. The official map is published by the Division of Fire Safety, and the town table is carried in the state's Fire and Building Safety Code. Figures below mirror published Vermont town lists of that map.

Town	Adopted ground snow load
Burlington	40 psf
South Burlington	40 psf
Rutland	50 psf
Montpelier	50 psf *
Barre	50 psf *
Stowe	70 psf *
Middlebury	50 psf
Bennington	40 psf
Brattleboro	50 psf
St. Johnsbury	60 psf

* Published town lists mirroring the state map give these figures; confirm against the official Division of Fire Safety map for design work. Brackets change at town lines, so always check a specific address.

The two statewide rules on top of the map

First, the floor: Vermont's amendments to IBC Chapter 16 require that the total roof snow load, including drifting, sliding, unbalanced, and partial loading effects, never falls below 40 psf on low slopes, with the slope factor applied above 5 degrees. Second, the ceiling of the map's reach: for sites above 2,500 feet elevation, the ground snow load must come from a site-specific extreme value statistical analysis approved by the authority having jurisdiction. Source: Vermont amendments to IBC Ch. 16

What the figure changes on a standing seam roof

The bracket drives three design decisions. Structure: framing and decking must carry the design load, which is why old Vermont homes built for slate and metal convert so naturally. Panels and clips: heavier brackets favor 24 gauge panels and mechanically seamed profiles, with floating clips where runs are long, per Sheffield Metals' clip guidance. Retention: standing seam sheds, so the same figure feeds the snow guard calculation. The Metal Construction Association bulletin requires load-tested, mechanically attached systems sized to the anticipated load, and S-5! publishes the test data and calculators installers use to lay out the rows.

The load also interacts with ice. The MCA's cold climate design bulletin covers eave icing and ventilation on metal roofs, and Efficiency Vermont documents the attic heat loss mechanism behind ice dams: warm air melts roof snow, meltwater refreezes at the cold eave. The deeper the snowpack your bracket implies, the more that mechanism matters.

Methodology and sources

Town figures mirror published Vermont town lists of the state ground snow load map (Division of Fire Safety PDF). Three towns are flagged pending confirmation against the official map, and the flag stays until the operator confirms.
The 40 psf minimum and the 2,500 foot rule come from Vermont's amendments to IBC Chapter 16.
Engineering context comes from the MCA snow retention bulletin, the MCA cold climates bulletin, and manufacturer technical documentation linked in place.
Nothing on this page is copied from another roofing site, and no figure appears without a source.

Ready to put a number on your own roof? See standing seam installation, snow guards and ice dam prevention, or the Vermont metal roof cost guide.

Vermont Snow Load Questions

What is a ground snow load?

The weight of snow on the ground, in pounds per square foot, that a location is expected to see at a design-level winter. Building codes translate it into roof design loads using factors for slope, exposure, and thermal condition. Vermont adopts ground snow loads town by town on the Division of Fire Safety map.

What is the minimum roof snow load in Vermont?

Vermont amends the International Building Code so that the total design roof snow load, including drifting, sliding, and unbalanced conditions, is never less than 40 psf for low-slope roofs, with the slope factor applied above 5 degrees. No Vermont roof designs below that floor.

What changes above 2,500 feet of elevation?

The map no longer applies. Vermont code requires ground snow loads for sites above 2,500 feet to come from a site-specific extreme value statistical analysis approved by the authority having jurisdiction. High-elevation homes near ski areas should expect that engineering step in any roof project.

Why do snow loads matter for a metal roof specifically?

Two reasons. First, the design load drives the structure and the panel and clip specification. Second, standing seam sheds: the same load figure feeds the snow retention calculation that keeps a winter’s accumulation from releasing onto entries and gutters at once, per the Metal Construction Association’s engineering guidance.

Where do this page’s figures come from?

From the Vermont Division of Fire Safety ground snow load map, the town table adopted in the Vermont Fire and Building Safety Code, as mirrored in published Vermont town lists. Three figures are flagged where published references needed operator confirmation, and every roof project should confirm its specific address on the official map.