SnowLoadCheck

Powhatan County, VA Roof Snow Load - 20 psf

Powhatan County, VA: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English

Moderate
20 psf

Powhatan County's roofs are built to hold 20 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first. ASCE 7's low-slope-roof minimum (§7.3.4) raises the governing figure to 20 psf - higher than the 17.5 psf the ground-load formula alone would give, and the code says use the larger one.

In depth, not weight: that's roughly 44 inches of fresh, light snow, 16 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 4 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. Modern-code homes carry a load like this without issue; an older addition, a carport, or any flat-roofed section is where it is worth checking first.

Powhatan County at a glance

Powhatan County by the numbers

Nationally that's #850 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 31%; within Virginia alone, Powhatan County ranks #39 of 110. That's 1.7 psf above Virginia's own county-average design load of 18.3 psf.

Powhatan County, FIPS 51145, is home to 32,392 people near 37.5494°N 77.9129°W. Its 25 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 20 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.

Powhatan County's snowfall, most winters

10.2 in. a year: that's Powhatan County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at CROZIER, VA US (8.3 mi away). See the density guide.

Before you rely on Powhatan County's number

Treat the Powhatan 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.