Smith County, TX Roof Snow Load - 5 psf
Smith County, TX: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Smith County's roofs are built to hold 5 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first. 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.
In depth, not weight: that's roughly 11 inches of fresh, light snow, 4 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 1 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.
Smith County at a glance
- Design roof snow load5 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map5 psf
- National rank#2,093 of 2,758
- Texas rank#52 of 254
- Population249,091
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal0.5 in.
- FIPS48423
Smith County by the numbers
Nationally that's #2,093 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 76%; within Texas alone, Smith County ranks #52 of 254. That's 0.4 psf below Texas's own county-average design load of 5.4 psf.
Smith County, FIPS 48423, is home to 249,091 people near 32.3751°N 95.2689°W. Its 5 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 5 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Smith County's snowfall, most winters
0.5 in. a year: that's Smith County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at HAWKINS, TX US (14.5 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on Smith County's number
Treat the Smith 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.