Madison County, NC Roof Snow Load - 15 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Madison County, NC?
15 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Madison County to carry. Flat and low-pitch roofs in Madison County are actually governed by ASCE 7's §7.3.4 minimum of 15 psf, not the 10.5 psf the ground-load formula alone would produce.
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.
Madison County at a glance
- Design roof snow load15 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map15 psf
- National rank#1,450 of 2,758
- North Carolina rank#44 of 100
- Population22,352
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal6.1 in.
- FIPS37115
How Madison County compares
15 psf ranks #1,450 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 53%) - and #44 of 100 in North Carolina. North Carolina counties average 12.9 psf; Madison County runs 2.1 psf higher than that.
Population 22,352 (FIPS 37115), roughly 35.8642°N 82.7126°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 Madison County, NC
NOAA's 30-year normal for Madison County: 6.1 in. of snow a year, from the HOT SPRINGS, NC US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Madison 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.
Madison 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. (How this figure is calculated.)