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Gutters · Tequesta

Gutters in Tequesta, FL

Tequesta's 10-year, five-minute burst reaches 10.4 inches an hour, which is the rate that tests a gutter. Daily totals matter less than these short, intense bursts for whether water spills over the edge. Gutter size, downspout count and where the water lands all follow from that one rate, and the downspout rule is short and specific.

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Updated October 2026

Waves breaking over craggy limestone rocks on a sandy beach 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: CCPbeach limestone rocks and surf by Anonymouskc, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped

Sizing for Tequesta rain

How hard rain here sizes your gutters

The plumbing code sizes horizontal gutters by the flow rate off the roof, and it lists capacities by size and slope. At a 1/8 inch per foot slope, a 6-inch half-round gutter moves roughly 110 gallons per minute. A 5-inch one carries 74. The 6-inch size is about 49 percent more capacity at the same slope, so the size you pick matters more than most owners expect.

Wide view of a two-story stucco home with a charcoal shingle hip roof and a complete white gutter and downspout system, screened lanai, palms and a live oak (illustration)Illustration

Illustration: two story system

The design rainfall is the local question. Using the Tequesta burst of 10.4 inches an hour, the gutter must clear water at that intensity from the roof area it drains. Older sizing tables used a different basis, and the answer can shift by more than two times depending on which storm you size for. Ask your installer which rainfall rate the sizing used.

  • Check the roof's plan area and pitch before choosing a gutter size.
  • Expect more drain capacity on steep sections, since pitch raises the design area.
  • Count any wall that sheds rain onto the roof, adding half its area to the roof's draining area.

Where the water goes

Downspout discharge rules for Tequesta homes

Florida's residential code requires gutters with downspouts on buildings whose eaves project less than 6 inches, with exceptions at gable end rakes and where one roof sits above another. A 2 by 3 inch downspout carries 30 gallons per minute and is undersized for the 10.4 inch burst on most roofs. Tequesta's inspection office can confirm the edition that applies to your permit.

Gutters are fastened with corrosion resistant hardware, and the joints must be lapped, soldered or caulked. Tequesta's age profile matters here: with a median build year of 1977, many of the gutters on older homes are likely original and may be past sound fastening.

Keeping gutters clear

Leaves, pollen and cleaning on Tequesta lots

Southern live oaks drop a litter of leaves, and oaks and pines are major pollen producers in Florida. Pollen season runs January to June with a peak in March and April. Most of the pine needle drop happens between September and November. A sensible cleaning rhythm is late April to May, before the June to September storm season, and again after the autumn needle peak, more often under heavy canopy.

Fine mesh gutter guards outperformed screens with larger holes in one consumer test, but even the strongest-rated guard was only middling at handling a severe downpour. Guards reduce the cleaning load without removing it, so plan on some maintenance.

Rain on your roof

Preset: 9.23 inches, the 10-year 24-hour rain (NOAA Atlas 14 at Tequesta).

11,501 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 Tequesta: questions

How much rain should my gutters handle in Tequesta?

Plan around the 5-minute, 10-year burst, which NOAA Atlas 14 puts at 10.4 inches an hour for this town. A 1-hour 10-year rain falls at 3.32 inches an hour, and a 24-hour 10-year storm totals 9.23 inches. Short bursts drive overflow more than daily totals do. Your installer should state which rainfall rate the gutter sizing used, and you can compare that answer against the code's capacity tables.

Source: NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration intensity estimates at the Tequesta 2020 Census internal point (26.9649, -80.1132), read Oct 5, 2026

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How many downspouts does a Tequesta home need?

Florida's residential code requires downspouts on buildings with eaves under 6 inches, with exceptions at gable end rakes and where one roof sits above another. In Palm Beach County, where Tequesta sits, the code's leader capacity table shows a 2 by 3 inch downspout carries 30 gallons per minute, so the count depends on roof area and the 10.4 inch rain rate used. Ask the Village of Tequesta Building Department which edition applies to your permit.

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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Where should a downspout discharge at a Tequesta home?

The code requires each downspout to discharge at least 1 foot from the building's sidewall. Options for moving water away include buried pipe, a downspout extension at the tail, or a splash block. Tequesta is 18.8 percent water by area, so routing the flow away from the slab matters.

Source: 2023 Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th ed., Chapter 8 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription), read Oct 5, 2026

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How often should gutters be cleaned near oaks in Tequesta?

An insurer's guidance says to clean gutters at least twice a year, in spring and fall, and more often with overhanging trees. Southern live oaks shed a litter of leaves, and pollen peaks in March and April. The heaviest pine needle fall comes in the months from September to November. In Tequesta, where the median home was built in 1977, older gutters clogged with debris can cause water damage and mold.

Source: thig.com, read Oct 5, 2026

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Nearby

Gutters near Tequesta

Sources for this page(35)
  1. 1.Permit office: Village of Tequesta - Building Department. Village of Tequesta - Building Department. Read Oct 10, 2026.
  2. 2.Median year homes were built: 1977. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25035, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  3. 3.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25035, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 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.Hurricane Matthew (2016). NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Matthew (AL142016). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  6. 6.U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census counts (POP100, HU100) via TIGERweb tigerWMS_Census2020 (AREALAND/AREAWATER). 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.bergerbp.com. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  10. 10.2023 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).
  11. 11.2023 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").
  12. 12.2023 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).
  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.ask.ifas.ufl.edu. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  15. 15.blogs.ifas.ufl.edu. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  16. 16.ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  17. 17.consumerreports.org. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  18. 18.thig.com. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  19. 19.NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration intensity estimates at the Tequesta 2020 Census internal point (26.9649, -80.1132), NOAA Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  20. 20.Village of Tequesta - Building Department, Village of Tequesta. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  21. 21.NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration 24-hour depth estimates at the Tequesta 2020 Census internal point (26.9649, -80.1132), NOAA Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  22. 22.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Matthew (AL142016), NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  23. 23.Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, inspections FAQ (updated 2026-03-17), Citizens Property Insurance. Read Oct 4, 2026.
  24. 24.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.
  25. 25.FRSA, "New 2023 FBC Eighth Edition is Now in Effect", 2024-02-13, floridaroof.com. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  26. 26.Miami-Dade County RER notice, Miami. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  27. 27.2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th ed., Chapter 15 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription), UpCodes (Florida Building Code transcription). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  28. 28.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Irma (AL112017), NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  29. 29.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Climatology, NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  30. 30.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Dorian (AL052019), NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  31. 31.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.
  32. 32.NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (access data service), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  33. 33.Wikipedia, 'Tequesta, Florida' (revision 1375551394), Wikipedia. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  34. 34.Wikipedia, 'List of municipalities in Florida', Wikipedia. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  35. 35.NOAA Atlas 14 at Tequesta: 10.4 in/hr (5-minute, 10-year). NOAA Atlas 14 Precipitation Frequency Data Server. Read Oct 5, 2026.

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Gutters in Tequesta

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