Madison County, GA Roof Snow Load - 5 psf
Madison County, GA: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Madison County's roofs are built to hold 5 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first. Flat and low-pitch roofs in Madison County are actually governed by ASCE 7's §7.3.4 minimum of 5 psf, not the 3.5 psf the ground-load formula alone would produce.
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.
Madison County, GA: quick facts
- Design roof snow load5 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map5 psf
- National rank#2,229 of 2,758
- Georgia rank#55 of 159
- Population32,771
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal2.1 in.
- FIPS13195
Madison County by the numbers
Nationally that's #2,229 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 81%; within Georgia alone, Madison County ranks #55 of 159. Georgia counties average 3.6 psf; Madison County runs 1.4 psf higher than that.
Madison County, FIPS 13195, is home to 32,771 people near 34.1275°N 83.2087°W. Its 5 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 5 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Madison County's snowfall, most winters
2.1 in. a year: that's Madison County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at DANIELSVILLE, GA US (5.5 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on Madison County's number
Treat the Madison 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.)