DeKalb County, GA Roof Snow Load - 5 psf
DeKalb County, GA: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
DeKalb County's roofs are built to hold 5 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first. 3.5 psf is what the ground-load formula alone gives; DeKalb County's 5 psf low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) beats it, so that figure is the one that governs on flat and low-pitch roofs.
In depth, not weight: that's roughly 11 inches of fresh, light snow, 4 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 1 inches of solid ice - snow that heavy is rare here but ice from a freeze-thaw cycle adds up far faster than the depth suggests. This is a modest add-on to standard roof loading - ordinary residential construction carries it without extra bracing.
Got real snow on a DeKalb County roof right now?
DeKalb County in numbers
- Design roof snow load5 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map5 psf
- National rank#2,077 of 2,758
- Georgia rank#22 of 159
- Population770,307
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal2.2 in.
- FIPS13089
DeKalb County by the numbers
Nationally that's #2,077 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 75%; within Georgia alone, DeKalb County ranks #22 of 159. That's 1.4 psf above Georgia's own county-average design load of 3.6 psf.
DeKalb County, FIPS 13089, is home to 770,307 people near 33.7707°N 84.2263°W. Its 5 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 5 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
DeKalb County's snowfall, most winters
2.2 in. a year: that's DeKalb County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at ATLANTA HARTSFIELD INTL AP, GA US (15.7 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on DeKalb County's number
Treat the DeKalb County figure as a starting point, not a final answer: it assumes standard occupancy, a heated structure and a moderately sheltered site, per ASCE 7-22's own defaults. Exposed terrain, an unheated building or a steeper roof all shift the real number.
For a real application, skip the county number and go straight to the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool - enter your coordinates and it returns a site-specific figure a plan reviewer will recognize. (How this figure is calculated.)