Lewis County, KY Roof Snow Load - 15 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Lewis County, KY?
15 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Lewis County to carry. 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.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 33 in. if it's fresh powder, 12 in. once it settles, or a mere 3 in. if it's ice. 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.
Lewis County, KY: quick facts
- Design roof snow load15 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map15 psf
- National rank#1,521 of 2,758
- Kentucky rank#88 of 120
- Population12,875
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal20.2 in.
- FIPS21135
How Lewis County compares
15 psf ranks #1,521 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 55%) - and #88 of 120 in Kentucky. That's 0.7 psf below Kentucky's own county-average design load of 15.7 psf.
Population 12,875 (FIPS 21135), roughly 38.535°N 83.3701°W. The 15 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 15 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Lewis County, KY
NOAA's 30-year normal for Lewis County: 20.2 in. of snow a year, from the W UNION 6 ENE, OH US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Lewis 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.
Lewis 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. See the methodology guide.