SnowLoadCheck

Buchanan County, VA Roof Snow Load - 15 psf

Buchanan County, VA roof snow load, translated

Moderate
15 psf

A typical heated home in Buchanan County is designed to carry 15 pounds per square foot of snow on its roof, per ASCE 7-22. ASCE 7's low-slope-roof minimum (§7.3.4) raises the governing figure to 15 psf - higher than the 10.5 psf the ground-load formula alone would give, and the code says use the larger one.

On a roof that means 33 in. of fresh snow, 12 in. once it packs down, or 3 in. of solid ice - three very different piles for the same load. A meaningful design load. Most homes built to modern code handle it, but additions, carports, and flat-roofed sections are worth a second look.

Buchanan County, VA: quick facts

Where Buchanan County ranks

#90 of 110 Virginia counties by design load, top 54% of 2,758 nationally - that's Buchanan County's spot. Virginia counties average 18.3 psf; Buchanan County runs 3.3 psf lower than that.

FIPS 51027, population 18,632, centered near 37.2681°N 82.0382°W. ASCE 7's underlying ground snow load here is 15 psf before the code's exposure and importance factors bring it to the 15 psf design figure above.

Buchanan County: average annual snowfall

Buchanan County sees about 7.7 in. of snow most winters, per the FEDSCREEK 1 SE, KY US station's 1991-2020 NOAA normal. See the density guide.

Read this before you use Buchanan County's figure

The figure above assumes the case ASCE 7-22 treats as typical: a heated, ordinary-occupancy home on a partially exposed site. Change any of those - exposure, heating, roof pitch, occupancy category - and the real design number moves.

A building permit needs the number at your exact address, not the county average - the free ASCE 7 Hazard Tool returns that from your coordinates in about a minute and produces a PDF a plan reviewer will accept. (How this figure is calculated.)