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Gutters · Lake Worth Beach

Gutters in Lake Worth Beach, FL

In a 10-year storm, a 5-minute downpour in Lake Worth Beach falls at 11.2 inches an hour. Gutters sized for ordinary rain can overflow in minutes. Your gutters and downspouts need to handle the burst, not the average day, and that changes how big they should be and where the water must go.

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Updated October 2026

Green street clock with a Lake Worth sign stands beside a cream building and palm trees.
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: Lake Worth, FL by Elisa.rolle, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped

Sizing for local rain

How big gutters and downspouts need to be here

Plumbing code sizes horizontal gutters from the flow off the roof, so roof area and slope both matter. Your 6-inch half-round gutter, pitched at 1/8 inch per foot, moves 110 gallons per minute. A 5-inch gutter carries 74. That gap is about 49 percent, from the table values.

The same house in the same downpour with a white seamless gutter catching the runoff and a downspout discharging onto a splash block, flower bed intact (illustration)Illustration

Illustration: downpour with gutter

Downspouts follow their own table. A 3-by-4-inch or 4-inch round leader carries 192 gallons per minute, while a 2-by-2-inch leader carries only 30. Many older houses here still have small leaders that were never sized for the roof they serve.

The sizing basis matters. Older tables built on records through 1978 list a 5-minute, 10-year intensity for Miami at 7.7 inches an hour. The local figure for this town is 11.2 inches an hour, so an old chart can underbuild a gutter run here.

Where the water goes

Discharge rules for downspouts

Florida's residential code requires gutters on buildings whose eaves project less than 6 inches, except at gable end rakes or where a roof sits above another roof. Keep every downspout outlet at least 1 foot out from the wall, using buried pipe, a tail extension, or a splash block to get it there.

Gutters must be metal or approved plastic, joined with lapped, soldered or caulked seams and fastened with corrosion-resistant hardware. Water that pools at the foundation can cause damage over time, and warranties often exclude damage from poor drainage.

Keeping gutters clear

Leaves, trees and cleaning schedule

Southern live oaks in this area can reach 60 to 80 feet and drop litter year round. Oak pollen peaks in March and April, and pines drop most of their needles from September through November. Clear gutters after those drops, and before the June through September rain season.

Consumer testing found fine-mesh screens did better than screens with larger holes, but none fully stopped a severe downpour. Under heavy canopy, plan on cleaning more often. Work at height is risky when thunder is audible, so wait for a clear day.

Rain on your roof

Preset: 9.01 inches, the 10-year 24-hour rain (NOAA Atlas 14 at Lake Worth Beach).

11,226 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 Lake Worth Beach: questions

How hard does it rain in Lake Worth Beach?

A 5-minute downpour in a 10-year storm falls at 11.2 inches an hour here. In a 100-year storm the same burst reaches 16.4 inches an hour. A 24-hour storm in a 10-year event brings 9.01 inches of rain. Gutters and downspouts should be sized for these local figures, not for an average rainy day. Confirm the final design numbers with the Lake Worth Beach building office before work starts.

Source: NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration intensity estimates at the Lake Worth Beach 2020 Census internal point (26.6197, -80.0587), read Oct 5, 2026

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How often should I clean gutters in Lake Worth Beach?

Clean gutters at least twice a year, usually in spring and fall. Homes with trees over the roof need more frequent cleaning. Under oaks and pines, clean after the spring oak drop and pollen season, before the June to September storm season, and after the autumn pine-needle peak. Lake Worth Beach has many older homes, with a median build year of 1969, so gutters on those roofs often need extra attention. Use a ladder carefully, and never work near overhead lines or when thunder can be heard.

Source: thig.com, read Oct 5, 2026

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Where should downspout water go in Palm Beach County homes?

Under Florida's residential code, a downspout has to empty at least 1 foot away from the sidewall. To meet that, choose between underground piping, a tail extension, and a splash block. A downspout that dumps water beside the foundation can cause problems over time. In Palm Beach County, many homes date to earlier decades, and the median year homes were built is 1969, so older foundations often benefit from careful drainage routing. Check the discharge method with the local building office, since inspectors may apply the rule differently.

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

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Nearby

Gutters near Lake Worth Beach

Sources for this page(36)
  1. 1.Median year homes were built: 1969. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25035, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  2. 2.NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (access data service). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  3. 3.NWS Miami, Weather Safety - Lightning. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  4. 4.Wikipedia, 'Lake Worth Beach, Florida' (revision 1375549765). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  5. 5.Permit office: City of Lake Worth Beach - Building Permits. City of Lake Worth Beach - Building Permits. Read Oct 10, 2026.
  6. 6.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25035, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  7. 7.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25034, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  8. 8.Hurricane Matthew (2016). NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Matthew (AL142016). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  9. 9.2023 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").
  10. 10.bergerbp.com. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  11. 11.2023 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).
  12. 12.2023 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").
  13. 13.2023 Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th ed., Chapter 9 (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-29 (the research cites it "as COM-29").
  14. 14.Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association (FRSA). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  15. 15.ask.ifas.ufl.edu. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  16. 16.blogs.ifas.ufl.edu. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  17. 17.ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  18. 18.consumerreports.org. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  19. 19.thig.com. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  20. 20.NOAA Atlas 14 (HDSC Precipitation Frequency Data Server). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  21. 21.NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration intensity estimates at the Lake Worth Beach 2020 Census internal point (26.6197, -80.0587), NOAA Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  22. 22.NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration 24-hour depth estimates at the Lake Worth Beach 2020 Census internal point (26.6197, -80.0587), NOAA Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  23. 23.City of Lake Worth Beach - Building Permits, City of Lake Worth Beach. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  24. 24.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Matthew (AL142016), NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  25. 25.Official website: City of Lake Worth Beach, Historic Districts, Official website. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  26. 26.2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th ed., Chapter 1 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription), UpCodes (Florida Building Code transcription). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  27. 27.Florida Statutes, section 713.135 (2026), Florida Legislature. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  28. 28.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.
  29. 29.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Dorian (AL052019), NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  30. 30.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.
  31. 31.2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th ed., Chapter 15 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription), UpCodes (Florida Building Code transcription). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  32. 32.Florida Statutes, section 627.7011 (2026), Florida Legislature. Read Oct 4, 2026.
  33. 33.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Climatology, NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  34. 34.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Irma (AL112017), NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  35. 35.Florida Statutes, section 553.842 (2026), Florida Legislature. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  36. 36.NOAA Atlas 14 at Lake Worth Beach: 11.2 in/hr (5-minute, 10-year). NOAA Atlas 14 Precipitation Frequency Data Server. Read Oct 5, 2026.

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Gutters in Lake Worth Beach

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