Colonial Heights city, VA Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Colonial Heights city
That's Colonial Heights city's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. The physics-based figure alone would be 14 psf, but ASCE 7's own low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) sets a floor of 20 psf for flat and low-pitch roofs here, which is the number that actually governs.
Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 44 in. of fresh powder, 16 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 4 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.
Colonial Heights city at a glance
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map20 psf
- National rank#972 of 2,758
- Virginia rank#55 of 110
- Population18,674
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal6.4 in.
- FIPS51570
Where Colonial Heights city's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Colonial Heights city sits at #972, the top 35% nationally - #55 of 110 within Virginia. 18.3 psf is Virginia's typical county figure - Colonial Heights city beats it by 1.7 psf.
Near 37.2617°N 77.3968°W, FIPS 51570: Colonial Heights city counts 18,674 residents and a 20 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 20 psf.
How much it actually snows in Colonial Heights city
Most winters bring Colonial Heights city roughly 6.4 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at WAKEFIELD 1NW, VA US, 28.8 mi off. 28.8 mi is a real gap between Colonial Heights city and its nearest reporting station, so local snowfall can diverge from this figure, especially near elevation changes. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Colonial Heights city'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 Colonial Heights city's county-wide figure. Details: the calculation guide.