Susan Stark, Senior Manager of Training, IronRidge
What is ASCE 7-16 and how does it affect residential solar projects in Florida? Every six years, the American Society of Civil Engineers / Structural Engineering Institute publishes ASCE/SEI 7 - Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures. The 2016 revision has now been adopted into Building Codes throughout the nation, replacing the 2010 publication.
While adoption throughout the US, especially in the Residential Code has been gradual, ASCE 7-16 has already been incorporated into the 7th Edition (2020) Florida Building Code, Building (FBCB) and Residential (FBCR). In short, the switch to ASCE 7-16 is here and it brings new complexities when calculating roof attachment spans for different roof sections (see Figure 1 below).
Roof Pitch Categories
Steep-slope roofs are now delineated into three categories by ASCE 7-16: pitches of 8-20 degrees (1.7 to 4.5 in 12 rise in run), 21-27 degrees (4.6 to 6.3 in 12 rise in run), and 28-45 degrees (6.4 to 12 in 12 rise in run).
Roof Configurations, Zones and Elevation
ASCE 7-16 defines numerous roof configurations, however the two most common types of steep slope roofs are defined as: Read More.
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