SnowLoadCheck

Monroe County, AL Roof Snow Load - 5 psf

Monroe County, AL: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English

Light
5 psf

Monroe 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 Monroe 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. This is a modest add-on to standard roof loading - ordinary residential construction carries it without extra bracing.

Monroe County, AL: quick facts

Monroe County by the numbers

Nationally that's #2,305 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 84%; within Alabama alone, Monroe County ranks #40 of 67. Alabama counties average 5.6 psf; Monroe County runs 0.6 psf lower than that.

Monroe County, FIPS 01099, is home to 19,057 people near 31.5804°N 87.3833°W. Its 5 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 5 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.

Monroe County's snowfall, most winters

0 in. a year: that's Monroe County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at CLAIBORNE L&D, AL US (7.3 mi away). See the density guide.

Before you rely on Monroe County's number

Treat the Monroe 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. Details: the calculation guide.