Boyd County, KY Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Boyd County, KY?
20 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Boyd County to carry. ASCE 7's low-slope-roof minimum (§7.3.4) raises the governing figure to 20 psf - higher than the 14 psf the ground-load formula alone would give, and the code says use the larger one.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 44 in. if it's fresh powder, 16 in. once it settles, or a mere 4 in. if it's 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.
Boyd County, KY: quick facts
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map20 psf
- National rank#743 of 2,758
- Kentucky rank#5 of 120
- Population47,777
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal6.2 in.
- FIPS21019
How Boyd County compares
20 psf ranks #743 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 27%) - and #5 of 120 in Kentucky. 15.7 psf is Kentucky's typical county figure - Boyd County beats it by 4.3 psf.
Population 47,777 (FIPS 21019), roughly 38.36°N 82.6814°W. The 20 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 20 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Boyd County, KY
NOAA's 30-year normal for Boyd County: 6.2 in. of snow a year, from the S PT, OH US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Boyd 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.
Boyd 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.