N.Y.C. Admin. Code § BC 1611: Section BC 1611: Rain Loads

1611.1 Design rain loads.

Each portion of a roof shall be designed to sustain the load of rainwater that will accumulate on it if the primary drainage system for that portion is blocked plus the uniform load caused by water that rises above the inlet of the secondary drainage system at its design flow.

R = 5.2 (d

s

+ d

h

)

(Equation 16-43)

For SI: R = 0.0098 (d

s

+ d

h

)

where:

d

h

= Additional depth of water on the undeflected roof above the inlet of secondary drainage system at its design flow (i.e., the hydraulic head), in inches (mm).

d

s

= Depth of water on the undeflected roof up to the inlet of secondary drainage system when the primary drainage system is blocked (i.e., the static head), in inches (mm).

R

= Rain load on the undeflected roof, in psf (kN/m

2

). When the phrase "undeflected roof" is used, deflections from loads (including dead loads) shall not be considered when determining the amount of rain on the roof.

1611.2 Ponding instability.

Susceptible bays of roofs shall be evaluated for ponding instability in accordance with Section 8.4 ASCE 7.

1611.3 Controlled drainage.

Roofs equipped with hardware to control the rate of drainage shall be equipped with a secondary drainage system at a higher elevation that limits accumulation of water on the roof above that elevation. Such roofs shall be designed to sustain the load of rainwater that will accumulate on them to the elevation of the secondary drainage system plus the uniform load caused by water that rises above the inlet of the secondary drainage system at its design flow determined from Section 1611.1. Such roofs shall also be checked for ponding instability in accordance with Section 1611.2.