Garza County, TX Roof Snow Load - 5 psf
Garza County, TX: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Garza County's roofs are built to hold 5 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first. 3.5 psf is what the ground-load formula alone gives; Garza County's 5 psf low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) beats it, so that figure is the one that governs on flat and low-pitch roofs.
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.
Garza County, TX: quick facts
- Design roof snow load5 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map5 psf
- National rank#2,433 of 2,758
- Texas rank#181 of 254
- Population4,645
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal4.1 in.
- FIPS48169
Garza County by the numbers
Nationally that's #2,433 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 88%; within Texas alone, Garza County ranks #181 of 254. That's 0.4 psf below Texas's own county-average design load of 5.4 psf.
Garza County, FIPS 48169, is home to 4,645 people near 33.1838°N 101.3011°W. Its 5 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 5 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Garza County's snowfall, most winters
4.1 in. a year: that's Garza County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at POST, TX US (4.4 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on Garza County's number
Treat the Garza 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.)