Dallas County, AL Roof Snow Load - 5 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Dallas County, AL?
5 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Dallas County to carry. §7.3.4's low-slope minimum of 5 psf is what actually governs on a flat or low-pitch roof here - higher than the 3.5 psf the base ground-load formula gives.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 11 in. if it's fresh powder, 4 in. once it settles, or a mere 1 in. if it's ice. This is a modest add-on to standard roof loading - ordinary residential construction carries it without extra bracing.
Dallas County at a glance
- Design roof snow load5 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map5 psf
- National rank#2,222 of 2,758
- Alabama rank#32 of 67
- Population35,545
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal0.4 in.
- FIPS01047
How Dallas County compares
5 psf ranks #2,222 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 81%) - and #32 of 67 in Alabama. Alabama counties average 5.6 psf; Dallas County runs 0.6 psf lower than that.
Population 35,545 (FIPS 01047), roughly 32.3335°N 87.1144°W. The 5 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 5 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Dallas County, AL
NOAA's 30-year normal for Dallas County: 0.4 in. of snow a year, from the SELMA, AL US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Dallas 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.
Dallas 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.