Stokes County, NC Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Stokes County, NC?
20 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Stokes County to carry. The physics-based figure alone would be 14 psf, but ASCE 7's own low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) sets a floor of 20 psf for flat and low-pitch roofs here, which is the number that actually governs.
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.
Stokes County at a glance
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map20 psf
- National rank#753 of 2,758
- North Carolina rank#5 of 100
- Population45,857
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal6.2 in.
- FIPS37169
How Stokes County compares
20 psf ranks #753 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 27%) - and #5 of 100 in North Carolina. North Carolina counties average 12.9 psf; Stokes County runs 7.1 psf higher than that.
Population 45,857 (FIPS 37169), roughly 36.3938°N 80.2699°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 Stokes County, NC
NOAA's 30-year normal for Stokes County: 6.2 in. of snow a year, from the KING, NC US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Stokes County 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.
Stokes County'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.)