Person County, NC Roof Snow Load - 15 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Person County, NC?
15 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Person County to carry. §7.3.4's low-slope minimum of 15 psf is what actually governs on a flat or low-pitch roof here - higher than the 10.5 psf the base ground-load formula gives.
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. A meaningful design load. Most homes built to modern code handle it, but additions, carports, and flat-roofed sections are worth a second look.
Person County in numbers
- Design roof snow load15 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map15 psf
- National rank#1,397 of 2,758
- North Carolina rank#39 of 100
- Population40,143
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal3.4 in.
- FIPS37145
How Person County compares
15 psf ranks #1,397 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 51%) - and #39 of 100 in North Carolina. North Carolina counties average 12.9 psf; Person County runs 2.1 psf higher than that.
Population 40,143 (FIPS 37145), roughly 36.3883°N 78.9737°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 Person County, NC
NOAA's 30-year normal for Person County: 3.4 in. of snow a year, from the ROXBORO 7 ESE, NC US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Person 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.
Person 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. See the methodology guide.