Polk County, TX Roof Snow Load - 5 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Polk County
That's Polk County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. Flat and low-pitch roofs in Polk 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.
Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 11 in. of fresh powder, 4 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 1 in. if it's turned to ice. A modest addition to standard roof loading. Ordinary residential construction handles this without extra bracing.
Polk County, TX: quick facts
- Design roof snow load5 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map5 psf
- National rank#2,185 of 2,758
- Texas rank#87 of 254
- Population54,258
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal0.1 in.
- FIPS48373
Where Polk County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Polk County sits at #2,185, the top 79% nationally - #87 of 254 within Texas. Texas counties average 5.4 psf; Polk County runs 0.4 psf lower than that.
Near 30.7846°N 94.8373°W, FIPS 48373: Polk County counts 54,258 residents and a 5 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 5 psf.
How much it actually snows in Polk County
Most winters bring Polk County roughly 0.1 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at CORRIGAN 1 ENE, TX US, 15.2 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Polk 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 Polk County's county-wide figure. Details: the calculation guide.