Jefferson County, TN Roof Snow Load - 10 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Jefferson County, TN?
10 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Jefferson County to carry. 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.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 22 in. if it's fresh powder, 8 in. once it settles, or a mere 2 in. if it's ice. This is a modest add-on to standard roof loading - ordinary residential construction carries it without extra bracing.
Jefferson County at a glance
- Design roof snow load10 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map10 psf
- National rank#1,762 of 2,758
- Tennessee rank#30 of 95
- Population59,217
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal3 in.
- FIPS47089
How Jefferson County compares
10 psf ranks #1,762 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 64%) - and #30 of 95 in Tennessee. Tennessee counties average 10.3 psf; Jefferson County runs 0.3 psf lower than that.
Population 59,217 (FIPS 47089), roughly 36.0485°N 83.4412°W. The 10 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 10 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Jefferson County, TN
NOAA's 30-year normal for Jefferson County: 3 in. of snow a year, from the JEFFERSON CITY, TN US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Jefferson County figure assumes
This is a county-level reference figure for a typical heated home built to Risk Category II (ordinary residential), on a partially exposed lot - the assumptions ASCE 7-22 itself treats as the default case. A steeper roof, a fully exposed hilltop lot, an unheated structure, or a higher risk category all change the actual number.
Jefferson County's permit office wants an address-specific figure, not this county average - the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool is free, takes under a minute, and outputs a PDF most reviewers accept. Details: the calculation guide.