vmirat,
I had the fortune of visting the VMI campus last July. Really fine engineering university, I must say.
Anyway, USACE is leaning heavily towards IBC 2000 as "the" code. However, the Uniform Facilities Criteria folks in TI 809-02 "Structural Design Criteria for Buildings" dated 01 September 1999 (
references EVERYTHING, including ASCE-7, which it should, as pertinent to structural design. For snow and wind, MIL-HNDBK 1002/2A "Loads" has all sorts of geographical info, though my opinion is that every project is case-by-case and I use these loads as a starting point.
I've heard the "well, if it's really windy, all the snow will blow off the roof, so wind governs" argument. OK, but, gosh, my next-door neighbor's got a lot of FROZEN SNOW stuck to his roof and it hasn't blown off in these gail-force winds. Strange...
I go with whichever code or reg is the most conservative; if the local code says 30 psf and the USACE/NAVFAC/AFM says 15 psf, I would use 30 psf and make a note in the calcs why I chose 30 psf. Federal LAW may trump state and local law, but engineering judgement answers to a higher power, no?
I am somwhat bugged by the recent collapses because it makes structural engineers look bad - even though it *might* not be the fault of the engineer.