Cherokee County, SC Roof Snow Load - 10 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Cherokee County, SC?
10 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Cherokee County to carry. Flat and low-pitch roofs in Cherokee County are actually governed by ASCE 7's §7.3.4 minimum of 10 psf, not the 7 psf the ground-load formula alone would produce.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 22 in. if it's fresh powder, 8 in. once it settles, or a mere 2 in. if it's ice. Standard residential construction handles a load this size without extra bracing; it is a modest addition on top of ordinary roof loading.
Cherokee County at a glance
- Design roof snow load10 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map10 psf
- National rank#1,765 of 2,758
- South Carolina rank#19 of 46
- Population57,770
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal1.9 in.
- FIPS45021
How Cherokee County compares
10 psf ranks #1,765 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 64%) - and #19 of 46 in South Carolina. 8.8 psf is South Carolina's typical county figure - Cherokee County beats it by 1.2 psf.
Population 57,770 (FIPS 45021), roughly 35.0498°N 81.6076°W. The 10 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 10 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Cherokee County, SC
NOAA's 30-year normal for Cherokee County: 1.9 in. of snow a year, from the GAFFNEY 6 E, SC US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Cherokee 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.
Cherokee 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. See the methodology guide.