CHS Custom Decks & Design Centers New Deck Planning on Code-Required Snow Loads Before Winter

APPLE VALLEY, MN – October 29, 2026 – PRESSADVANTAGE –

NOAA’s October 15 winter outlook favors warmer-than-average temperatures across the Midwest, but it does not predict how much snow will fall this winter. For Apple Valley homeowners considering a new deck that might later support a roofed porch, that distinction puts code-required snow loads, rather than a seasonal temperature forecast, at the center of early planning. CHS Custom Decks & Design builds decks and porches in the area, where the city’s permit guidance asks applicants to disclose future porch plans when sizing deck footings.

A roof changes what a deck’s supports may ultimately need to carry. Apple Valley’s deck guidance says an applicant should identify an intended future porch or hot tub at the outset so the footings can be sized correctly. Its separate porch guidance requires the design to transfer roof dead loads, snow loads, wall loads, floor dead loads and floor live loads through supporting members to the ground. That requirement applies to the proposed structure, not to a prediction that any particular storm will arrive this season.

The distinction matters when an open platform is drawn now but an enclosure or roof is contemplated later. Posts, beams and footings chosen for the first project cannot simply be assumed to accommodate the second one. Apple Valley requires building permits for all porch additions, so a possible future roof belongs in the initial discussion even if the porch itself would be a separate, later project.

Minnesota’s residential-deck guidance uses a 40-pound-per-square-foot live-load assumption for posts and, for certain beam spans, adds a 10-pound dead-load assumption. These are deck-framing table values, not a snow-load number for a future porch roof. Neither a deck table nor a county ground snow-load figure can be applied directly to every part of a proposed structure.

Minnesota Rule 1303.1700 places Dakota County in the 50-pound-per-square-foot ground snow-load category. That figure helps determine structural design loads; it is not automatically the load on a porch roof. The roof and its supports still matter, and Apple Valley advises consulting a structural engineer when help sizing beams, columns or footings is needed.

October’s weather news makes the design distinction timely. NOAA’s outlook covers December 2026 through February 2027 and expresses the likelihood of seasonal temperature and precipitation categories, not a project-specific snow forecast. The agency says it does not project seasonal snowfall totals because snow forecasts generally cannot be made more than a week ahead. A warmer-average winter does not remove the snow-load design obligation for a roofed structure or justify choosing smaller supports on the strength of the outlook.

Apple Valley requires a permit and electronic plans for an attached deck, with footing, framing and guard details before construction. A detached deck no more than 30 inches above grade may qualify for a permit exemption, but the city still applies setbacks and building-code requirements. A plan change after review requires another plan and review before work proceeds.

For decks with direct access to a dwelling or attached garage, the city requires frost footings at least 42 inches deep and inspection before concrete is placed. That depth addresses frost, but it does not show whether a footing is sized for a future roof. Porch plans must still account for the proposed roof and its supports.

CHS Custom Decks & Design builds residential decks and porches in the Apple Valley area. For homeowners considering both projects, identifying a potential future roof during initial deck planning allows the proposed structure and its supporting elements to be evaluated together. The city determines the documentation and approvals required at each permit stage, while the final design must account for the loads associated with the intended use.

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For more information about CHS Custom Decks & Design, contact the company here:

CHS Custom Decks & Design
Heather Saleen
+19522607514
heathersaleen@chscustomdecksanddesign.com
14607 Felton Ct #115, Apple Valley, MN 55124, United States