Butler County, KY Roof Snow Load - 15 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Butler County, KY?
15 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Butler County to carry. Flat and low-pitch roofs in Butler 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.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 33 in. if it's fresh powder, 12 in. once it settles, or a mere 3 in. if it's ice. This is a meaningful design load - most modern-code homes handle it fine, though an addition, a carport or a flat-roofed section can be a weak spot.
Butler County at a glance
- Design roof snow load15 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map15 psf
- National rank#1,530 of 2,758
- Kentucky rank#94 of 120
- Population12,551
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal7.3 in.
- FIPS21031
How Butler County compares
15 psf ranks #1,530 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 55%) - and #94 of 120 in Kentucky. That's 0.7 psf below Kentucky's own county-average design load of 15.7 psf.
Population 12,551 (FIPS 21031), roughly 37.207°N 86.6825°W. The 15 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 15 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Butler County, KY
NOAA's 30-year normal for Butler County: 7.3 in. of snow a year, from the ABERDEEN, KY US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Butler 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.
Butler 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.