SnowLoadCheck

Vance County, NC Roof Snow Load - 15 psf

What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Vance County

Moderate
15 psf

That's Vance County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. The physics-based figure alone would be 10.5 psf, but ASCE 7's own low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) sets a floor of 15 psf for flat and low-pitch roofs here, which is the number that actually governs.

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.

Vance County at a glance

Where Vance County's figure sits nationally

Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Vance County sits at #1,393, the top 51% nationally - #38 of 100 within North Carolina. That's 2.1 psf above North Carolina's own county-average design load of 12.9 psf.

Near 36.3655°N 78.4054°W, FIPS 37181: Vance County counts 42,337 residents and a 15 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 15 psf.

How much it actually snows in Vance County

Most winters bring Vance County roughly 1.6 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at HENDERSON 2 NNW, NC US, 1.2 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)

Read this before you rely on it

Vance 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 Vance County's county-wide figure. Details: the calculation guide.