Gutter cleaning, repair and new gutters in Reno, NV

When to clean gutters in Reno

The first fall frost comes around October 27 in a typical year here, and the last spring frost around April 28 (median dates, NOAA normals). A fall cleaning set for the weeks after that frost, when the branches over the house are bare, gets the year’s leaves in one trip; a spring visit follows once the pollen and catkins have come down.

When to clean gutters explains how the trees over a roof change the schedule.

Gutter and downspout size for Reno rain

Gutters are sized for the worst few minutes of a storm, not for the year. In Reno the five-minute rain expected about once in ten years falls at 2.40 inches an hour (NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 1). At that rate one 2-by-3-inch downspout drains about 3,000 square feet of roof and one 3-by-4-inch downspout about 6,000, by the rule in the Copper Development Association’s design handbook. Try your own roof in the gutter and downspout calculator, which starts from this figure.

Reno is dry by national standards, about 8 inches in a normal year, but much of the rain that does come can arrive in short, hard storms: the five-minute downpour expected once in ten years still runs at 2.40 inches an hour. Where gutters are used here, the job is moving that burst away from the foundation, and keeping a dry season’s dust and debris from blocking the first storm.

The houses in Reno

Half the homes in Reno were built by 1989, 38% before 1980 (ACS 2020–2024). At that age a gutter has seen decades of leaves and storms, and the fascia it hangs from has too.

49% of households own their home, and 50% of homes are detached houses, 6% townhouses. If an association maintains the exterior, the gutters may be its job rather than yours; check before calling.

Hiring in Nevada

Before hiring in Reno, ask which Nevada license or registration the contractor holds and for a certificate of liability insurance. Hiring a gutter contractor