SnowLoadCheck

Richmond County, GA Roof Snow Load - 5 psf

What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Richmond County

Light
5 psf

That's Richmond County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. The physics-based figure alone would be 3.5 psf, but ASCE 7's own low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) sets a floor of 5 psf for flat and low-pitch roofs here, which is the number that actually governs.

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. This is a modest add-on to standard roof loading - ordinary residential construction carries it without extra bracing.

Richmond County at a glance

Where Richmond County's figure sits nationally

Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Richmond County sits at #2,102, the top 76% nationally - #28 of 159 within Georgia. 3.6 psf is Georgia's typical county figure - Richmond County beats it by 1.4 psf.

Near 33.3615°N 82.075°W, FIPS 13245: Richmond County counts 206,303 residents and a 5 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 5 psf.

How much it actually snows in Richmond County

Most winters bring Richmond County roughly 0.8 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at AUGUSTA BUSH FLD AP, GA US, 6.4 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)

Read this before you rely on it

Richmond 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 Richmond County's county-wide figure. See the methodology guide.