Gutters in McIntosh, FL

Not by code, if the eaves are deep. Florida requires gutters only on buildings with eaves under 6 inches, apart from gable rakes and roofs above other roofs (R318.5). Without them, though, every inch of rain lands at the drip line, and Marion County's Ocala station averages 51.64 inches a year. Grading that slopes away from the walls and splash protection at the drip line matter more on a house without gutters. Where gutters are added, the code's 1-foot discharge rule applies to every downspout.

Source: 2023 FBC-Residential R318.5 (UpCodes, unofficial transcription; verify on floridabuilding.org); NOAA NCEI normals, read October 5, 2026.

Related: Gutters

They help, with limits. In Consumer Reports' testing, fine-mesh screens outperformed screens with larger holes, but even the top-scoring screen was only middling at holding a severe downpour, inserts did poorly, and guards still needed brushing in high-pollen areas. That matters where oak pollen peaks in March and April and Ocala's NOAA station averages 21.42 inches of summer rain. Tower Hill, a Florida insurer, suggests cleaning gutters at least twice a year, more often under overhanging trees, and guarded gutters still need that check.

Source: Consumer Reports, press release August 3, 2010; UF/IFAS; Tower Hill Insurance Group, read October 5, 2026.

Related: Gutters

Enough that each one stays under its rating. The plumbing code rates a 3-inch round downspout at 92 gallons a minute and a 4-inch round one at 192. At McIntosh's Atlas 14 burst of 9.59 inches an hour, a little under NOAA's 9.71 for Ocala, that works out by our arithmetic to roughly 920 and 1,925 square feet of flat roof area per downspout. Splitting a long run with a downspout at each end halves the area each one drains.

Source: FBC-Plumbing Table 1106.3 (UpCodes, unofficial transcription); NOAA Atlas 14 at McIntosh and Ocala, read October 5, 2026.

Related: Gutters