Gordon County, GA Roof Snow Load - 5 psf
Gordon County, GA: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Gordon 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. This is a modest add-on to standard roof loading - ordinary residential construction carries it without extra bracing.
Gordon County at a glance
- Design roof snow load5 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map5 psf
- National rank#2,175 of 2,758
- Georgia rank#48 of 159
- Population60,765
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal1.8 in.
- FIPS13129
Gordon County by the numbers
Nationally that's #2,175 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 79%; within Georgia alone, Gordon County ranks #48 of 159. Georgia counties average 3.6 psf; Gordon County runs 1.4 psf higher than that.
Gordon County, FIPS 13129, is home to 60,765 people near 34.5097°N 84.8739°W. Its 5 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 5 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Gordon County's snowfall, most winters
1.8 in. a year: that's Gordon County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at RESACA, GA US (7.4 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on Gordon County's number
Treat the Gordon 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.)