Richmond city, VA Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Richmond city, VA?
20 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Richmond city to carry. 14 psf is what the ground-load formula alone gives; Richmond city's 20 psf low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) beats it, so that figure is the one that governs on flat and low-pitch roofs.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 44 in. if it's fresh powder, 16 in. once it settles, or a mere 4 in. if it's ice. 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.
Richmond city, VA: quick facts
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map20 psf
- National rank#576 of 2,758
- Virginia rank#17 of 110
- Population233,655
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal10.2 in.
- FIPS51760
How Richmond city compares
20 psf ranks #576 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 21%) - and #17 of 110 in Virginia. 18.3 psf is Virginia's typical county figure - Richmond city beats it by 1.7 psf.
Population 233,655 (FIPS 51760), roughly 37.5314°N 77.476°W. The 20 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 20 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Richmond city, VA
NOAA's 30-year normal for Richmond city: 10.2 in. of snow a year, from the CROZIER, VA US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Richmond city 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.
Richmond city'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. (How this figure is calculated.)