SnowLoadCheck

Marion County, TN Roof Snow Load - 10 psf

What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Marion County

Light
10 psf

That's Marion County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. 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.

Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 22 in. of fresh powder, 8 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 2 in. if it's turned to ice. Standard residential construction handles a load this size without extra bracing; it is a modest addition on top of ordinary roof loading.

Marion County, TN: quick facts

Where Marion County's figure sits nationally

Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Marion County sits at #1,842, the top 67% nationally - #53 of 95 within Tennessee. That's 0.3 psf below Tennessee's own county-average design load of 10.3 psf.

Near 35.1334°N 85.6184°W, FIPS 47115: Marion County counts 29,826 residents and a 10 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 10 psf.

How much it actually snows in Marion County

Most winters bring Marion County roughly 3.1 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at WHITWELL-SEQUATCHIE VLY, TN US, 13.5 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)

Read this before you rely on it

Marion County's number above is ASCE 7-22's default case, not a custom calculation: ordinary residential occupancy, heated, sited on ground that's neither fully sheltered nor fully exposed. Any one of those changing - pitch, exposure, heating, occupancy - moves the real figure.

Nothing here substitutes for an address-level number. Get one free, in about a minute, from the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool using your own coordinates rather than Marion County's county-wide figure. See the methodology guide.