Hi, I have a pretty simple question to anyone who can provide info. Question is:

Is it necessary to shovel accumulated snow off my deck? I live in Minnesota and the deck is off the back of my house off the top portion of the house, with a stairway going down to the walkout basement area. This is the first year I've had the house in the winter with the deck on, and I have not shoveled it yet all winter. There is about one foot of the hard crusty snow on it now, so I'm wondering if leaving the snow and weight on the deck is a safety concern. Can the deck safely handle that amount of snow? Or is it mandatory to shovel it off? I guess I don't want to take a chance on the deck giving way...so are all decks built to sustain accumulated snow during the winter? The deck is about 14' x 12' and is fairly new.

Any advice would be appreciated. Do I get the shovel out, or is it not really a concern?