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Gutters · Highland Beach

Gutters in Highland Beach, FL

A 5-minute downpour in a 10-year storm falls at 10.9 inches an hour in Highland Beach, according to NOAA's Atlas 14 rainfall data. A burst like that can overflow a gutter sized only for ordinary rain. Gutter capacity here depends on that burst, on how far your roof reaches, and on where the water goes after it leaves the downspout.

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Updated October 2026

Aerial view of sandy beach, turquoise surf and tall condominium towers under blue sky.
Drone view of a single-story home with a brown-gray shingle roof and box vents under large oak trees, a metal carport roof in the corner and a street behind.Our work
Photo: Town of Highland Beach, Florida by Quintin Soloviev, CC0, cropped

Highland Beach figures this page uses

People (2020 Census)
4,295
Population estimate (ACS 5-year)
4,311
Housing units (ACS 5-year)
4,613
Median year homes were built
1983

Rainfall and sizing

Your Highland Beach gutters have to carry a heavier load of rain than you might expect

Local design rainfall is more than a yearly total. The 1-hour rain in a 10-year storm reaches 3.56 inches an hour, and the 24-hour total in a 10-year storm is 8.99 inches. Those figures show that the short, intense burst matters as much as the total.

Heavy Florida afternoon downpour pouring off a roof edge with no gutter, splashing mud onto the wall and washing out the flower bed along the foundation (illustration)Illustration

Illustration: downpour no gutter

Florida's plumbing code sizes horizontal gutters from the flow off the roof surface. Measured at 1/8 inch of fall per foot, a 6-inch half-round gutter moves 110 gallons a minute, whereas a 5-inch model moves only 74. Stepping up one size adds about 49 percent of capacity on a Highland Beach roof.

Downspouts must be sized too. A 2 1/2 by 3 inch leader carries 30 gallons per minute, and a 3 inch round leader carries 92. Code also adds half the area of any vertical wall that sheds rain onto the roof when you figure the load.

Discharge rules

Where the water goes after the downspout

Under Florida's residential code, buildings with eaves extending less than 6 inches need gutters, though gable end rakes and roofs that sit above another roof are excluded. Water has to leave each downspout at least a foot clear of the wall, achieved through buried pipe, tail extensions or splash blocks.

Rain that lands near the foundation can wash soil and pool at the wall. Confirm your lot's grading and any pipe runs with the Town of Highland Beach Building Department before you change anything.

Maintenance

Leaves, trees and cleaning schedule

Southern live oaks in Florida are semi-evergreen and drop fruit and leaves that become a litter problem in gutters. Needles from pines pile up most heavily between September and November. Plan cleanings around those drop periods and the June to September storm season.

A roofing inspector's standard advice is to clean gutters filled with dead leaves and debris during the fall and spring. Clogged gutters that overflow can send water toward the foundation, where it may cause damage.

Rain on your roof

Preset: 8.99 inches, the 10-year 24-hour rain (NOAA Atlas 14 at Highland Beach).

11,202 gallons run off that roof, all of it toward the gutters and downspouts.

Math: square feet × inches × 0.623 gallons.

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Questions

Gutters in Highland Beach: questions

How much rain should my Highland Beach gutters handle?

Design rainfall here is steep. A 5-minute downpour in a 10-year storm falls at 10.9 inches an hour, and the 1-hour rain in a 10-year storm reaches 3.56 inches an hour. Gutters built only for everyday rainfall may spill over during those sudden downpours. Ask a qualified contractor to size your gutters and downspouts to the local design values.

Source: NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration intensity estimates at the Highland Beach 2020 Census internal point (26.4106, -80.0645), read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Gutters

How far from the wall must a downspout discharge in Florida?

Florida's residential code requires downspouts to discharge at least 1 foot (305 mm) away from the structure sidewall. Buried piping, tail extensions or splash blocks are all options for achieving this. Check your own lot with the Town of Highland Beach Building Department.

Source: 2023 Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th ed., R318.5 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription); FBC-Building 1503.7, read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Gutters

Do Highland Beach homes need gutters?

Buildings with eaves under 6 inches must have gutters and downspouts under the code, except at gable end rakes and where one roof sits above another. In Highland Beach, where 85.1 percent of homes sit in buildings with 10 or more units, many roofs are shared, so eave depth on your own building decides whether this applies. Confirm with the Town of Highland Beach Building Department.

Source: 2023 Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th ed., R318.5 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription); FBC-Building 1503.7, read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Gutters

How often should gutters be cleaned near oak and pine trees?

Experts commonly recommend cleaning gutters at least twice a year, usually in spring and fall, and more often under overhanging trees. Pine needles peak from September through November, so a late autumn cleaning helps. In Palm Beach County's wet season, which carries 67.3 percent of normal annual rain from May through October at West Palm Beach airport, clean more often under heavy oak cover.

Source: thig.com, read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Gutters

Nearby

Gutters near Highland Beach

Sources for this page(32)
  1. 1.Permit office: Town of Highland Beach - Building Department. Town of Highland Beach - Building Department. Read Oct 10, 2026.
  2. 2.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25024, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  3. 3.NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (access data service). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  4. 4.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25035, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  5. 5.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25004, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  6. 6.Hurricane Matthew (2016). NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Matthew (AL142016). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  7. 7.2023 Florida Building Code, Plumbing, 8th ed., Chapter 11 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription). Read Oct 5, 2026. FBC text read from UpCodes (unofficial transcription): check floridabuilding.org or the ICC viewer before quoting (spec 8.7). Source URL inherited from COM-20 (the research cites it "as COM-20").
  8. 8.NOAA Atlas 14 (HDSC Precipitation Frequency Data Server). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  9. 9.2023 Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th ed., R318.5 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription); FBC-Building 1503.7. Read Oct 5, 2026. FBC text read from UpCodes (unofficial transcription): check floridabuilding.org or the ICC viewer before quoting (spec 8.7).
  10. 10.2023 Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th ed., Chapter 8 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription). Read Oct 5, 2026. FBC text read from UpCodes (unofficial transcription): check floridabuilding.org or the ICC viewer before quoting (spec 8.7). Source URL inherited from NC-2 (the research cites it "as NC-2").
  11. 11.2023 Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th ed., Chapter 3 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription). Read Oct 5, 2026. FBC text read from UpCodes (unofficial transcription): check floridabuilding.org or the ICC viewer before quoting (spec 8.7).
  12. 12.ask.ifas.ufl.edu. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  13. 13.ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  14. 14.National Roofing Contractors Association. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  15. 15.thig.com. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  16. 16.NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration intensity estimates at the Highland Beach 2020 Census internal point (26.4106, -80.0645), NOAA Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  17. 17.NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration 24-hour depth estimates at the Highland Beach 2020 Census internal point (26.4106, -80.0645), NOAA Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  18. 18.Town of Highland Beach - Building Department, Town of Highland Beach. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  19. 19.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Matthew (AL142016), NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  20. 20.Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, inspections FAQ (updated 2026-03-17), Citizens Property Insurance. Read Oct 4, 2026.
  21. 21.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25035, B25034, B25024, via Census Reporter API, U.S. Census Bureau (via Census Reporter). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  22. 22.2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th ed., Chapter 15 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription), UpCodes (Florida Building Code transcription). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  23. 23.2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th ed., Chapter 1 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription), UpCodes (Florida Building Code transcription). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  24. 24.Florida Administrative Code, Chapter 61G20-3, Florida Administrative Code. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  25. 25.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Irma (AL112017), NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  26. 26.Florida Building Commission, 'Setting New Standards for Safety: The Florida Building Code' (2004 publication; wind-speed figures in it are outdated and not used), Florida Building Commission. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  27. 27.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Dorian (AL052019), NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  28. 28.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Climatology, NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  29. 29.Wikipedia, 'Highland Beach, Florida' (revision 1375548765), Wikipedia. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  30. 30.Wikipedia, 'List of municipalities in Florida', Wikipedia. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  31. 31.Miami-Dade County RER notice, Miami. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  32. 32.NOAA Atlas 14 at Highland Beach: 10.9 in/hr (5-minute, 10-year). NOAA Atlas 14 Precipitation Frequency Data Server. Read Oct 5, 2026.

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Gutters in Highland Beach

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