SnowLoadCheck

Perry County, AL Roof Snow Load - 5 psf

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

Light
5 psf

Perry County's roofs are built to hold 5 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first. 3.5 psf is what the ground-load formula alone gives; Perry County's 5 psf low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) beats it, so that figure is the one that governs on flat and low-pitch roofs.

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.

Perry County in numbers

Perry County by the numbers

Nationally that's #2,410 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 87%; within Alabama alone, Perry County ranks #57 of 67. 5.6 psf is Alabama's typical county figure - Perry County comes in 0.6 psf under it.

Perry County, FIPS 01105, is home to 7,719 people near 32.639°N 87.2938°W. Its 5 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 5 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.

Perry County's snowfall, most winters

0.7 in. a year: that's Perry County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at MARION 7 NE, AL US (4.7 mi away). See the density guide.

Before you rely on Perry County's number

Treat the Perry 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.)