Fayette County, AL Roof Snow Load - 10 psf
Fayette County, AL: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Fayette County's roofs are built to hold 10 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first. The physics-based figure alone would be 7 psf, but ASCE 7's own low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) sets a floor of 10 psf for flat and low-pitch roofs here, which is the number that actually governs.
In depth, not weight: that's roughly 22 inches of fresh, light snow, 8 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 2 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.
Snow on Fayette County's roofs right now?
Fayette County in numbers
- Design roof snow load10 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map10 psf
- National rank#1,945 of 2,758
- Alabama rank#16 of 67
- Population15,863
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal0.3 in.
- FIPS01057
Fayette County by the numbers
Nationally that's #1,945 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 71%; within Alabama alone, Fayette County ranks #16 of 67. Alabama counties average 5.6 psf; Fayette County runs 4.4 psf higher than that.
Fayette County, FIPS 01057, is home to 15,863 people near 33.7162°N 87.7643°W. Its 10 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 10 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Fayette County's snowfall, most winters
0.3 in. a year: that's Fayette County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at FAYETTE, AL US (3 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on Fayette County's number
Treat the Fayette 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. See the methodology guide.