A clogged gutter fails on the worst day it can: the afternoon storm when an inch or more of rain comes down at once. Across metro Atlanta that happens on roughly 13 to 18 days in a normal year, depending on the city (NOAA normals; each city page has its own count). The water that cannot get into the downspout goes over the front edge, behind the gutter onto the fascia, or straight down beside the foundation.
What a cleaning covers
A full cleaning is more than scooping leaves:
- The troughs cleared by hand along every run, front and back of the house.
- Downspouts checked and flushed. A gutter can be empty and still overflow if the downspout below it is packed.
- Debris bagged and hauled, not blown into the beds.
- A look along the way: seams that drip, hangers that have pulled loose, a run that holds standing water, soft fascia. A crew that is already on the roof edge sees what a homeowner on the ground cannot.
Ask whether underground downspout lines are included. Clearing a buried line takes different tools, and some crews price it separately.
How often
There is no single right number. What decides it is what falls on the roof:
- Pines drop needles all year and pollen in spring; needles mat in the trough and in the downspout outlet.
- Oaks, maples, sweetgums, tulip poplars drop most of their load in fall, plus catkins, seeds and spiky gumballs in spring and early summer.
- No trees within reach of the roof: once a year is often enough, mainly for roof grit and wind-blown leaves.
The City of Atlanta measured 45.7% of its land under tree canopy in 2023, and some neighborhoods over 80%. Under a full canopy, plan on at least two cleanings a year and check after big storms. When to clean gutters in metro Atlanta sets the dates by your city's frost.
Two stories is a different job
On a one-story ranch with a gentle roof, a homeowner with a sturdy ladder and a helper can clean gutters. On two stories, a steep roof or over a deck or slope, the ladder work is where people get hurt. That is the usual reason homeowners in two-story houses hire it out.
What sets the price
Length of gutter, number of stories, roof pitch and material, how packed the gutters are, whether guards have to be lifted, underground downspouts, and hauling. A contractor prices it after seeing the house; what sets the price goes through each.