Ellis County, TX Roof Snow Load - 5 psf
Ellis County, TX: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Ellis County's roofs are built to hold 5 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first. The physics-based figure alone would be 3.5 psf, but ASCE 7's own low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) sets a floor of 5 psf for flat and low-pitch roofs here, which is the number that actually governs.
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. A modest addition to standard roof loading. Ordinary residential construction handles this without extra bracing.
Ellis County, TX: quick facts
- Design roof snow load5 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map5 psf
- National rank#2,096 of 2,758
- Texas rank#53 of 254
- Population232,387
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal0 in.
- FIPS48139
Ellis County by the numbers
Nationally that's #2,096 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 76%; within Texas alone, Ellis County ranks #53 of 254. 5.4 psf is Texas's typical county figure - Ellis County comes in 0.4 psf under it.
Ellis County, FIPS 48139, is home to 232,387 people near 32.3469°N 96.7969°W. Its 5 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 5 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Ellis County's snowfall, most winters
0 in. a year: that's Ellis County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at WAXAHACHIE, TX US (6.2 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on Ellis County's number
Treat the Ellis 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.)