Albemarle County, VA Roof Snow Load - 21 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Albemarle County
That's Albemarle County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from.
Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 46.2 in. of fresh powder, 16.8 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 4.2 in. if it's turned to ice. Modern-code homes carry a load like this without issue; an older addition, a carport, or any flat-roofed section is where it is worth checking first.
Got real snow on a Albemarle County roof right now?
Albemarle County, VA: quick facts
- Design roof snow load21 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map30 psf
- National rank#416 of 2,758
- Virginia rank#2 of 110
- Population117,313
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal10.9 in.
- FIPS51003
Where Albemarle County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Albemarle County sits at #416, the top 15% nationally - #2 of 110 within Virginia. 18.3 psf is Virginia's typical county figure - Albemarle County beats it by 2.7 psf.
Near 38.0242°N 78.5535°W, FIPS 51003: Albemarle County counts 117,313 residents and a 30 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 21 psf.
How much it actually snows in Albemarle County
Most winters bring Albemarle County roughly 10.9 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at FREE UNION, VA US, 5 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Albemarle County's number above is ASCE 7-22's default case, not a custom calculation: ordinary residential occupancy, heated, sited on ground that's neither fully sheltered nor fully exposed. Any one of those changing - pitch, exposure, heating, occupancy - moves the real figure.
Nothing here substitutes for an address-level number. Get one free, in about a minute, from the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool using your own coordinates rather than Albemarle County's county-wide figure. (How this figure is calculated.)