SnowLoadCheck

Fayette County, KY Roof Snow Load - 15 psf

What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Fayette County

Moderate
15 psf

That's Fayette County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. §7.3.4's low-slope minimum of 15 psf is what actually governs on a flat or low-pitch roof here - higher than the 10.5 psf the base ground-load formula gives.

Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 33 in. of fresh powder, 12 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 3 in. if it's turned to 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.

Fayette County, KY: quick facts

Where Fayette County's figure sits nationally

Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Fayette County sits at #1,315, the top 48% nationally - #18 of 120 within Kentucky. 15.7 psf is Kentucky's typical county figure - Fayette County comes in 0.7 psf under it.

Near 38.0407°N 84.4583°W, FIPS 21067: Fayette County counts 329,437 residents and a 15 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 15 psf.

How much it actually snows in Fayette County

Most winters bring Fayette County roughly 14.5 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at LEXINGTON BLUEGRASS AP, KY US, 8 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)

Read this before you rely on it

Fayette County's number above is ASCE 7-22's default case, not a custom calculation: ordinary residential occupancy, heated, sited on ground that's neither fully sheltered nor fully exposed. Any one of those changing - pitch, exposure, heating, occupancy - moves the real figure.

Nothing here substitutes for an address-level number. Get one free, in about a minute, from the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool using your own coordinates rather than Fayette County's county-wide figure. Details: the calculation guide.