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Gutters · Palm Beach

Gutters in Palm Beach, FL

A 5-minute downpour in a 10-year storm falls at 11.4 inches an hour in Palm Beach. Gutters sized for gentler rain can overflow before the storm ends. A 1-hour storm of that size still drops 3.54 inches an hour, and a 24-hour storm in a 10-year event delivers 9.35 inches. Gutters here need to be sized for fast, heavy rain, not average rain.

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Updated October 2026

Large cream-coloured hotel building behind palm trees and traffic signals at a street crossing.
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: Palm Beach by qwesy, CC BY 3.0, cropped

Sizing for local rain

How much rain Palm Beach gutters must carry

Gutter capacity follows the rain that falls in the shortest burst, not the total for the day. Here that burst is severe. The 5-minute, 10-year rate is 11.4 inches an hour, and the 25-year rate is 13.4. In a 100-year storm the same 5-minute rate reaches 16.7 inches an hour. A gutter that handles the 10-year burst must move far more water than one sized for ordinary showers.

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

The Florida plumbing code sizes horizontal gutters from the flow rate off the roof. A 6-inch half-round gutter at 1/8 inch per foot slope carries 110 gallons per minute, against 74 for a 5-inch size. Downspouts are sized the same way, and a 3 by 4 1/4 inch leader moves 192 gallons per minute. Ask the installer which size and slope the design uses, and whether it adds area from any wall that sheds rain onto the roof.

Only 25.6 percent of the housing units here are single-family detached homes, and 64.9 percent sit in buildings with 10 or more units. That suggests many gutter and drainage decisions belong to an association or a property manager, not one owner. If you live in such a building, ask who owns the gutters and downspouts before you hire anyone.

Code and discharge

Downspouts and where Palm Beach rain must go

Florida code requires that downspouts discharge at least 1 foot from the building's sidewall, whether by underground piping, tail extensions or splash blocks. Under a 24-hour, 10-year storm that delivers 9.35 inches, a downspout that dumps at the foundation can soak the soil beside the house. Confirm the discharge route with the Town of Palm Beach Planning, Zoning and Building Department before work starts, since the department's roof permit page is the official source for local requirements.

Keeping gutters clear

Leaves, trees and cleaning in Palm Beach

Palm Beach homes often sit under mature trees, and southern live oaks drop a steady litter of leaves and fruit. A clogged gutter cannot move a 5-minute burst of 11.4 inches an hour, so the rain runs over the edge. An insurer's guidance says to clean gutters at least twice a year, spring and fall, and more often under overhanging trees or during frequent storms. Pollen from oaks and pines peaks in March and April, so a spring cleaning should follow it.

Because the seasonal rain runs from May through October here, plan the cleaning before the August peak. Many homes in town are used seasonally, so a gutter left unattended for months can overflow unnoticed.

Rain on your roof

Preset: 9.35 inches, the 10-year 24-hour rain (NOAA Atlas 14 at Palm Beach).

11,650 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 Palm Beach: questions

How much rain should my gutters handle in Palm Beach?

Size them for the 5-minute, 10-year rate of 11.4 inches an hour, since that short burst fills a gutter fastest. A 100-year burst reaches 16.7 inches an hour. Ask your installer which design basis they used and whether they confirmed the slope and downspout size against the plumbing code tables. Gutters sized only for average rain can overflow during the storms that matter most here.

Source: NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration intensity estimates at the Palm Beach 2020 Census internal point (26.6948, -80.0419), read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Gutters

How far from the house should my downspouts discharge in Palm Beach?

The code requires a 1-foot clearance from the building's sidewall for downspout discharge. In Palm Beach, a 24-hour, 10-year storm falls 9.35 inches, so water left at the foundation can saturate the soil beside the house. Route the water with extension pipe, buried line or a splash block, then check the layout with the Town of Palm Beach Planning, Zoning and 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 I clean gutters under trees in Palm Beach?

An insurer's guidance says to clean gutters at least twice a year, usually in spring and fall, and more often under overhanging trees or during frequent storms. Southern live oaks shed leaves and fruit, and oak and pine pollen peaks in March and April. Clean before the August peak in rainfall, when August brings the most rain of the year at 8.68 inches.

Source: thig.com, read Oct 5, 2026

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Nearby

Gutters near Palm Beach

Sources for this page(26)
  1. 1.Single-family detached share of housing units: 25.6%. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25024, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 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.Permit office: Town of Palm Beach - Planning, Zoning & Building Department. Town of Palm Beach - Planning, Zoning & Building Department. Read Oct 10, 2026.
  4. 4.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25004, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  5. 5.NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (access data service). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  6. 6.2023 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").
  7. 7.2023 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").
  8. 8.2023 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).
  9. 9.ask.ifas.ufl.edu. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  10. 10.blogs.ifas.ufl.edu. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  11. 11.thig.com. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  12. 12.NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration intensity estimates at the Palm Beach 2020 Census internal point (26.6948, -80.0419), NOAA Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  13. 13.NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration 24-hour depth estimates at the Palm Beach 2020 Census internal point (26.6948, -80.0419), NOAA Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  14. 14.Town of Palm Beach - Planning, Zoning & Building Department, townofpalmbeach.com. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  15. 15.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25035, via Census Reporter API, U.S. Census Bureau (via Census Reporter). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  16. 16.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.
  17. 17.Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, inspections FAQ (updated 2026-03-17), Citizens Property Insurance. Read Oct 4, 2026.
  18. 18.Official website: Town of Palm Beach, Post-Storm Permitting Plan 2026, townofpalmbeach.com. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  19. 19.2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th ed., Chapter 15 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription), UpCodes (Florida Building Code transcription). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  20. 20.Wikipedia, 'Palm Beach, Florida' (revision 1373516471), Wikipedia. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  21. 21.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Climatology, NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  22. 22.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Irma (AL112017), NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  23. 23.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Matthew (AL142016), NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  24. 24.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Dorian (AL052019), NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  25. 25.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.
  26. 26.NOAA Atlas 14 at Palm Beach: 11.4 in/hr (5-minute, 10-year). NOAA Atlas 14 Precipitation Frequency Data Server. Read Oct 5, 2026.

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Gutters in Palm Beach

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