Travis County, TX Roof Snow Load - 5 psf
Travis County, TX: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Travis County's roofs are built to hold 5 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first. 3.5 psf is what the ground-load formula alone gives; Travis County's 5 psf low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) beats it, so that figure is the one that governs on flat and low-pitch roofs.
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. A modest addition to standard roof loading. Ordinary residential construction handles this without extra bracing.
Already snow on the roof in Travis County?
Travis County in numbers
- Design roof snow load5 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map5 psf
- National rank#2,071 of 2,758
- Texas rank#43 of 254
- Population1,363,767
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal0.2 in.
- FIPS48453
Travis County by the numbers
Nationally that's #2,071 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 75%; within Texas alone, Travis County ranks #43 of 254. That's 0.4 psf below Texas's own county-average design load of 5.4 psf.
Travis County, FIPS 48453, is home to 1,363,767 people near 30.2395°N 97.6913°W. Its 5 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 5 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Travis County's snowfall, most winters
0.2 in. a year: that's Travis County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at AUSTIN-CAMP MABRY, TX US (7 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on Travis County's number
Treat the Travis 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. (How this figure is calculated.)