SnowLoadCheck

Spencer County, KY Roof Snow Load - 15 psf

What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Spencer County

Moderate
15 psf

That's Spencer County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. ASCE 7's low-slope-roof minimum (§7.3.4) raises the governing figure to 15 psf - higher than the 10.5 psf the ground-load formula alone would give, and the code says use the larger one.

Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 33 in. of fresh powder, 12 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 3 in. if it's turned to ice. A meaningful design load. Most homes built to modern code handle it, but additions, carports, and flat-roofed sections are worth a second look.

Already snow on the roof in Spencer County?

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Spencer County in numbers

Where Spencer County's figure sits nationally

Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Spencer County sits at #1,462, the top 53% nationally - #62 of 120 within Kentucky. Kentucky counties average 15.7 psf; Spencer County runs 0.7 psf lower than that.

Near 38.0253°N 85.3173°W, FIPS 21215: Spencer County counts 20,823 residents and a 15 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 15 psf.

How much it actually snows in Spencer County

Most winters bring Spencer County roughly 11.9 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at BARDSTOWN 5E, KY US, 14.7 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)

Read this before you rely on it

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