SnowLoadCheck

Bell County, TX Roof Snow Load - 5 psf

Bell County, TX: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English

Light
5 psf

Bell County's roofs are built to hold 5 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first. §7.3.4's low-slope minimum of 5 psf is what actually governs on a flat or low-pitch roof here - higher than the 3.5 psf the base ground-load formula gives.

In depth, not weight: that's roughly 11 inches of fresh, light snow, 4 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 1 inches of solid ice - snow that heavy is rare here but ice from a freeze-thaw cycle adds up far faster than the depth suggests. This is a modest add-on to standard roof loading - ordinary residential construction carries it without extra bracing.

Got real snow on a Bell County roof right now?

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Bell County, TX: quick facts

Bell County by the numbers

Nationally that's #2,083 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 76%; within Texas alone, Bell County ranks #48 of 254. That's 0.4 psf below Texas's own county-average design load of 5.4 psf.

Bell County, FIPS 48027, is home to 399,578 people near 31.037°N 97.4796°W. Its 5 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 5 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.

Bell County's snowfall, most winters

0.4 in. a year: that's Bell County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at YOUNGSPORT, TX US (15.1 mi away). See the density guide.

Before you rely on Bell County's number

Treat the Bell County figure as a starting point, not a final answer: it assumes standard occupancy, a heated structure and a moderately sheltered site, per ASCE 7-22's own defaults. Exposed terrain, an unheated building or a steeper roof all shift the real number.

For a real application, skip the county number and go straight to the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool - enter your coordinates and it returns a site-specific figure a plan reviewer will recognize. See the methodology guide.