SnowLoadCheck

Rutherford County, TN Roof Snow Load - 10 psf

Rutherford County, TN: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English

Light
10 psf

Rutherford County's roofs are built to hold 10 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first. The physics-based figure alone would be 7 psf, but ASCE 7's own low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) sets a floor of 10 psf for flat and low-pitch roofs here, which is the number that actually governs.

In depth, not weight: that's roughly 22 inches of fresh, light snow, 8 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 2 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. Standard residential construction handles a load this size without extra bracing; it is a modest addition on top of ordinary roof loading.

Rutherford County, TN: quick facts

Rutherford County by the numbers

Nationally that's #1,664 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 60%; within Tennessee alone, Rutherford County ranks #10 of 95. That's 0.3 psf below Tennessee's own county-average design load of 10.3 psf.

Rutherford County, FIPS 47149, is home to 376,996 people near 35.8434°N 86.4172°W. Its 10 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 10 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.

Rutherford County's snowfall, most winters

2.2 in. a year: that's Rutherford County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at MURFREESBORO 5 N, TN US (5.9 mi away). See the density guide.

Before you rely on Rutherford County's number

Treat the Rutherford 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.