SnowLoadCheck

Edgecombe County, NC Roof Snow Load - 15 psf

How much snow is too much for a roof in Edgecombe County, NC?

Moderate
15 psf

15 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Edgecombe County to carry. ASCE 7's low-slope-roof minimum (§7.3.4) raises the governing figure to 15 psf - higher than the 10.5 psf the ground-load formula alone would give, and the code says use the larger one.

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. 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.

Edgecombe County at a glance

How Edgecombe County compares

15 psf ranks #1,380 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 50%) - and #33 of 100 in North Carolina. That's 2.1 psf above North Carolina's own county-average design load of 12.9 psf.

Population 49,124 (FIPS 37065), roughly 35.9171°N 77.6027°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 Edgecombe County, NC

NOAA's 30-year normal for Edgecombe County: 2.8 in. of snow a year, from the ROCKY MT 8 ESE, NC US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)

What this Edgecombe 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.

Edgecombe 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.