SnowLoadCheck

Buncombe County, NC Roof Snow Load - 15 psf

What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Buncombe County

Moderate
15 psf

That's Buncombe County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. Flat and low-pitch roofs in Buncombe County are actually governed by ASCE 7's §7.3.4 minimum of 15 psf, not the 10.5 psf the ground-load formula alone would produce.

Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 33 in. of fresh powder, 12 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 3 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.

Buncombe County at a glance

Where Buncombe County's figure sits nationally

Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Buncombe County sits at #1,321, the top 48% nationally - #13 of 100 within North Carolina. That's 2.1 psf above North Carolina's own county-average design load of 12.9 psf.

Near 35.6094°N 82.5304°W, FIPS 37021: Buncombe County counts 279,210 residents and a 15 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 15 psf.

How much it actually snows in Buncombe County

Most winters bring Buncombe County roughly 11.5 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at ASHEVILLE, NC US, 1.8 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)

Read this before you rely on it

Buncombe 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 Buncombe County's county-wide figure. Details: the calculation guide.