diff --git a/parm/snow/obs/config/bufr_sfcsno_mapping.yaml b/parm/snow/obs/config/bufr_sfcsno_mapping.yaml
index 00ab1bc7d..2fe12f39c 100644
--- a/parm/snow/obs/config/bufr_sfcsno_mapping.yaml
+++ b/parm/snow/obs/config/bufr_sfcsno_mapping.yaml
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ bufr:
       query: "[*/CLON, */CLONH]"
     stationIdentification:
       query: "*/RPID"
-
     stationElevation:
       query: "[*/SELV, */HSMSL]"
 
@@ -26,11 +25,8 @@ bufr:
       query: "[*/SNWSQ1/TOSD, */MTRMSC/TOSD, */STGDSNDM/TOSD]"
       transforms:
         - scale: 1000.0
-  filters:
-    - bounding:
-        variable: totalSnowDepth
-        lowerBound: 0
-        upperBound: 10000000
+    groundState:
+      query: "[*/GRDSQ1/SOGR, */STGDSNDM/SOGR]"
 
 encoder:
   variables:
@@ -65,7 +61,7 @@ encoder:
       coordinates: "longitude latitude"
       source: variables/stationIdentification
       longName: "Identification of Observing Location"
-      units: "m"
+      units: "index"
 
     # ObsValue
     - name: "ObsValue/totalSnowDepth"
@@ -73,3 +69,10 @@ encoder:
       source: variables/totalSnowDepth
       longName: "Total Snow Depth"
       units: "mm"
+
+    - name: "ObsValue/groundState"
+      coordinates: "longitude latitude"
+      source: variables/groundState
+      longName: "STATE OF THE GROUND"
+      units: "index"
+
diff --git a/parm/snow/obs/config/sfcsno_snow.yaml.j2 b/parm/snow/obs/config/sfcsno_snow.yaml.j2
index 960ea8f64..947d6340e 100644
--- a/parm/snow/obs/config/sfcsno_snow.yaml.j2
+++ b/parm/snow/obs/config/sfcsno_snow.yaml.j2
@@ -5,9 +5,12 @@
       halo size: 250e3
     obsdatain:
       engine:
-        type: bufr
+        type: script
+        script file: "{{ USHgfs }}/bufr2ioda_sfcsno_bufr_encoder.py"
+        args:
+          input_path: '{{ DATA }}/obs/{{ OPREFIX }}sfcsno.tm00.bufr_d'
+          mapping_path: '{{ DATA }}/obs/bufr_sfcsno_mapping.yaml'
         obsfile: '{{ DATA }}/obs/{{ OPREFIX }}sfcsno.tm00.bufr_d'
-        mapping file: '{{ DATA }}/obs/bufr_sfcsno_mapping.yaml'
     obsdataout:
       engine:
         type: H5File
@@ -54,7 +57,7 @@
       where:
       - variable:
           name: MetaData/stationElevation
-        minvalue: -999.0
+        maxvalue: 999999999.9
     - filter: Domain Check # land only
       where:
       - variable:
diff --git a/sorc/bufr-query b/sorc/bufr-query
index 97367fcd5..8bc28860d 160000
--- a/sorc/bufr-query
+++ b/sorc/bufr-query
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Subproject commit 97367fcd59adf4863aba1a52189e20f9f66451af
+Subproject commit 8bc28860d562f9a53ffa86e7c5c5ae05c2c4e09f
diff --git a/ush/ioda/bufr2ioda/bufr2ioda_sfcsno_bufr_encoder.py b/ush/ioda/bufr2ioda/bufr2ioda_sfcsno_bufr_encoder.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6c75df0ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ush/ioda/bufr2ioda/bufr2ioda_sfcsno_bufr_encoder.py
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+import numpy as np
+import bufr
+from pyioda.ioda.Engines.Bufr import Encoder
+
+
+def mask_container(container, mask):
+    new_container = bufr.DataContainer()
+    for var_name in container.list():
+        var = container.get(var_name)
+        paths = container.get_paths(var_name)
+        new_container.add(var_name, var[mask], paths)
+
+    return new_container
+
+
+def create_obs_group(input_path, mapping_path):
+    """Create the ioda snow observations
+    This method:
+    - reads state of ground (sogr) and snow depth (snod)
+    - applys sogr conditions to the missing snod values
+    - removes the filled/missing snow values and creates the masked container
+    - encoders the new container.
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    input_path:  The input bufr file
+    mapping_path: The input bufr2ioda mapping file
+
+    """
+
+    YAML_PATH = mapping_path
+    container = bufr.Parser(input_path, YAML_PATH).parse()
+
+    sogr = container.get('variables/groundState')
+    snod = container.get('variables/totalSnowDepth')
+    snod[(sogr <= 11.0) & snod.mask] = 0.0
+    snod[(sogr == 15.0) & snod.mask] = 0.0
+    container.replace('variables/totalSnowDepth', snod)
+
+    masked_container = mask_container(container, (~snod.mask))
+
+    data = next(iter(Encoder(YAML_PATH).encode(masked_container).values()))
+
+    return data