Franklin city, VA Roof Snow Load - 15 psf
Franklin city, VA: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Franklin city's roofs are built to hold 15 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first. 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.
In depth, not weight: that's roughly 33 inches of fresh, light snow, 12 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 3 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 meaningful design load - most modern-code homes handle it fine, though an addition, a carport or a flat-roofed section can be a weak spot.
Franklin city at a glance
- Design roof snow load15 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map15 psf
- National rank#1,573 of 2,758
- Virginia rank#98 of 110
- Population8,373
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal5.8 in.
- FIPS51620
Franklin city by the numbers
Nationally that's #1,573 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 57%; within Virginia alone, Franklin city ranks #98 of 110. 18.3 psf is Virginia's typical county figure - Franklin city comes in 3.3 psf under it.
Franklin city, FIPS 51620, is home to 8,373 people near 36.684°N 76.9414°W. Its 15 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 15 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Franklin city's snowfall, most winters
5.8 in. a year: that's Franklin city's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at SUFFOLK LAKE KILBY, VA US (19.1 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on Franklin city's number
Treat the Franklin city 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. Details: the calculation guide.