TEXAS · TARRANT COUNTY
Arlington Wind Load Requirements
North Texas tornado-alley exposure, stadium-scale engineering, and ASCE 7-22 design pressures for the Entertainment Capital of Texas.
ASCE 7-22 · WIND & EXPOSURE
Why Arlington sits at 100–115 mph
Design speeds come from the ASCE 7-22 maps for North Texas — flat inland terrain with elevated severe-weather hazard, not a single fabricated figure.
Severe Thunderstorms
Supercells and downbursts drive the primary damaging-wind threat across North Texas.
PRIMARY HAZARDDFW Tornado Alley
Tarrant County sees multiple tornadoes annually; critical facilities warrant added resilience.
REGIONAL RISKExposure Category B
Urban and suburban roughness dominates the city; verify per ASCE 7-22 Section 26.7 each site.
PRIMARY EXPOSUREFlat North Texas Terrain
Minimal topographic effect — Kzt is typically 1.0 across Arlington's level ground.
Kzt ≈ 1.0Exact site velocity depends on precise location within the city and local roughness. The WindLoadCalc.com calculator reads the correct ASCE 7-22 speed from any Arlington zip or address.
ASCE 7-22 · TABLE 1.5-1
Risk category sets the speed map
Higher risk categories read a longer-return-period map, raising the design wind speed — there is no fixed multiplier.
| Risk Category | Arlington Design Speed | Typical Building Types |
|---|---|---|
| Risk Category I | ~95–110 mph | Agricultural, temporary, minor storage |
| Risk Category II | 100–115 mph | Homes, commercial, hotels, standard occupancy |
| Risk Category III | ~110–125 mph | Schools, assembly >300, AT&T Stadium, Globe Life Field |
| Risk Category IV | ~120–135 mph | Hospitals, fire stations, emergency shelters |
CITY OF ARLINGTON · BUILDING INSPECTIONS
What you need to comply
The Arlington Building Inspections Division is the AHJ — every wind-load submittal is sealed by a Texas PE.
ASCE 7-22 Standard
Calculations follow the current edition referenced under the City of Arlington IBC adoption.
CODE EDITIONSealed PE Calculations
All structural wind-load work is prepared and sealed by a Professional Engineer licensed in Texas.
TEXAS PEExposure Determination
Justify Exposure B (or local C transitions) over 20× building height per ASCE 7-22 26.7.
SITE ANALYSISOnline Permitting
Submit through the city's digital permitting system for review by the Inspections Division.
AHJ SUBMITTALMWFRS & C&C Pressures
Provide both main-system and component-and-cladding pressures for every building element.
FULL PRESSURESAssembly-Scale Review
Stadiums and large-span structures require peer review and specialized wind engineering.
PEER REVIEWOFFICIAL · ARLINGTON & TEXAS
Verify with the source
Authoritative jurisdiction and weather references for Arlington compliance.
NEARBY & STATEWIDE
Explore the rest of Texas
Compare neighboring DFW cities and statewide wind-load requirements.
Dallas
North Texas · Dallas County.
NEARBY CITYFort Worth
Tarrant County · DFW metroplex.
NEARBY CITYPlano
North Texas · Collin County.
NEARBY CITYTexas Statewide
Full Texas wind-load requirements.
STATE PAGEAll State Requirements
Browse every state's adoption.
DIRECTORYWind Speed by Location
Look up speeds anywhere in the U.S.
MAP TOOLSTART YOUR ARLINGTON CALCULATION
Automate your Arlington wind loads
Enter any Arlington zip or address for instant ASCE 7-22 pressures, Exposure B defaults, and PE-ready reports.