Bedford County, TN Roof Snow Load - 10 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Bedford County, TN?
10 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Bedford County to carry. ASCE 7's low-slope-roof minimum (§7.3.4) raises the governing figure to 10 psf - higher than the 7 psf the ground-load formula alone would give, and the code says use the larger one.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 22 in. if it's fresh powder, 8 in. once it settles, or a mere 2 in. if it's ice. Standard residential construction handles a load this size without extra bracing; it is a modest addition on top of ordinary roof loading.
Bedford County, TN: quick facts
- Design roof snow load10 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map10 psf
- National rank#1,772 of 2,758
- Tennessee rank#34 of 95
- Population54,228
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal1.1 in.
- FIPS47003
How Bedford County compares
10 psf ranks #1,772 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 64%) - and #34 of 95 in Tennessee. That's 0.3 psf below Tennessee's own county-average design load of 10.3 psf.
Population 54,228 (FIPS 47003), roughly 35.5137°N 86.4583°W. The 10 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 10 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Bedford County, TN
NOAA's 30-year normal for Bedford County: 1.1 in. of snow a year, from the SHELBYVILLE WATER DEPT, TN US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Bedford County figure assumes
This is a county-level reference figure for a typical heated home built to Risk Category II (ordinary residential), on a partially exposed lot - the assumptions ASCE 7-22 itself treats as the default case. A steeper roof, a fully exposed hilltop lot, an unheated structure, or a higher risk category all change the actual number.
Bedford County's permit office wants an address-specific figure, not this county average - the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool is free, takes under a minute, and outputs a PDF most reviewers accept. Details: the calculation guide.