Frost depth in Pennsylvania
The frost depth in Pennsylvania is 42″. That is the line the ground freezes to. A footing has to sit below it, so the hole is 48″ deep — not 42″.
Pennsylvania frost depth and the depth you dig
| What | Depth |
|---|---|
| Frost depth in Pennsylvania | 42″ |
| Working allowance below the frost line | 6″ |
| Hole depth to dig in Pennsylvania | 48″ |
Why the Pennsylvania hole goes deeper than the frost line
The frost depth is where the soil freezes solid. Below that line the ground stays workable all winter, which is what lets a footing bear its load instead of being lifted by frozen soil heaving upward. The allowance on top of that is the working room the footing needs above the frozen zone — the part of the hole that sits in seasonally frozen ground rather than permanently frozen soil.
Skipping the allowance is the most common reason a footing is rejected in Pennsylvania. It is also the most expensive kind of mistake, because a deck that has already been framed and decked has to come apart to fix it.
Where Pennsylvania sits
Pennsylvania is in the Mid-Atlantic band. Pennsylvania publishes 42 inches, with higher elevations in the northeast running deeper. Southeastern Pennsylvania is at the published figure.
What a Pennsylvania frost depth number does not cover
- It does not replace your Pennsylvania building department. The state figure is the common published value. Your county may enforce a deeper one, and in a few cases a shallower one.
- It does not cover soil conditions. Frost depth is about temperature. Fill, expansive clay, or rock at the bottom of the hole is a different problem that the depth number does not solve.
- It does not cover load. Footing diameter and thickness come from the load the deck puts on it, not from how cold it gets. See the footing calculator for that side.
- It does not cover unheated spaces. A deck attached to the house is usually over unheated space; a deck over a heated room or a crawlspace with a heat source may be exempt from part of the frost requirement. Ask.
Before you dig in Pennsylvania
- Call the Pennsylvania county building department and ask for the frost depth they enforce for your address. Ask for the number they put on the permit, not the state default.
- Dig to the depth above, and check what is at the bottom. Rock means a different footing. Soft fill means you are probably into a footing design question, not a depth question.
- Get the permit before the hole is in the ground. Almost every jurisdiction requires it for an elevated deck, and almost none of them check the footing afterwards.
Other Pennsylvania footing references
- Frost depth and footings — the general version, without a state
- Frost depth by state — every state
- Deck footing calculator — concrete volume and bag count
- Deck code checklist — the rest of what a permit will ask for
Questions people actually ask
How deep do deck footings go in Pennsylvania?
Below the frost line. In Pennsylvania that is 42″, so the hole is 48″ — the extra 6″ is working room above the frozen zone. Your county building department enforces the number that goes on the permit.
What is the frost depth in Pennsylvania?
42″. That is the depth the ground freezes to. Pennsylvania sits in the Mid-Atlantic band.
Do I need a permit for a deck in Pennsylvania?
Almost always, for an elevated deck. The permit is what forces the frost depth question to be answered with your county's number rather than a general one — and it is checked before the hole is dug, not after.
Can I use a shallower footing in Pennsylvania?
Not on a cold-structure footing. A footing above the frost line gets lifted by heave, which takes the deck out of level and racks the frame. The exception is a footing on rock or on a foundation that does not move with the soil — an engineered decision, not a shortcut.