Gutter Cleaning Prices Per Linear Foot: 2026 Rates by Story
Gutter cleaning rates per linear foot for one-, two- and three-story homes, plus downspout and add-on fees, minimums, and how to measure gutter length remotely.
By the AboveYard team · Updated October 25, 2026 · 6 min read
Gutter cleaning is one of the easiest jobs to price by the foot. The length does not change between visits, the work is repetitive, and the main variable, height, is visible from the street. The hard part is knowing which published rate to trust, because the ranges overlap a lot.
This guide pulls the per-linear-foot numbers into one place, shows what moves you up or down, and walks through a quote.
Per-linear-foot rates by story
| Stories | Fixr | Today's Homeowner |
|---|---|---|
| One | $0.70–$1.50 Fixr | $0.95–$1.25 Today's Homeowner |
| Two | $1.50–$2.50 Fixr | $1.00–$1.85 Today's Homeowner |
| Three | $2.50–$3.20 Fixr | $1.25–$2.25 Today's Homeowner |
Housecall Pro's contractor guide puts residential work at $0.80–$2 per foot and commercial at $1.25–$3.50 Housecall Pro. LawnStarter lists $1–$1.30 per linear foot as an add-on to leaf removal LawnStarter.
The pattern is clear even though the sources disagree on the edges. One-story work sits around $1 a foot. Two-story work sits between $1.50 and $2. Three-story work starts where two-story ends.
What homeowners expect to pay in total
Customers compare totals, so check your per-foot math against these.
| Measure | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| National average | $163 | Bob Vila |
| Typical range | $119–$228 | Bob Vila |
| Typical range | $200–$400; $300 is most common for 150 ft on a two-story | Fixr |
| One story | $100–$180 | Housecall Pro |
| Two story | $150–$275 | Housecall Pro |
| Three story | $250–$400+ | Housecall Pro |
Today's Homeowner also lists totals by linear footage: 100 ft at $95–$225, 150 ft at $97.50–$337.50, and 200 ft at $130–$450 Today's Homeowner. Its table pairs a 1,000 sq ft home with 100 ft of gutter and a 2,000 sq ft home with 200 ft, which is a useful rough check: about one foot of gutter per 10 square feet of house. Measure anyway; L-shaped and multi-wing houses run longer.
What moves the price
Price these as adjustments, not guesses.
| Factor | Effect | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Steep roof slope | about 15% more | Bob Vila |
| Severely clogged gutters | 10%–50% premium | Bob Vila |
| Seamed (vs seamless) gutters | 10%–25% more | Bob Vila |
| 6–7 inch gutters | 5%–10% more | Bob Vila |
| Travel 50–75 miles | $50–$75 fee | Today's Homeowner |
| Travel 75+ miles | $75–$175 fee | Today's Homeowner |
Roof shape matters too. Today's Homeowner lists gabled roofs at $115–$200 and intersecting hip roofs at $250–$450 Today's Homeowner. The reason is simple: a hip roof has gutters on all four sides and more corners, so it has more footage and more ladder moves.
Add-ons to list separately
Keep the base per-foot rate clean and put extras on their own lines. Housecall Pro publishes these contractor ranges Housecall Pro:
| Add-on | Price |
|---|---|
| Downspout flushing | $25–$75 per downspout |
| Heavy or compacted debris | $50–$150 |
| Roof debris blow-off | $75–$200 |
| Minor repairs or resealing | $50–$150 |
| Gutter guard check or adjustment | $25–$50 |
| Exterior gutter brightening | $1–$3 per linear foot |
Other guides price clogged downspouts per job instead: $50–$100 Fixr, the same $50–$100 at Bob Vila. Pick one method and stick with it.
Exterior brightening, which removes the black "tiger stripes" from the gutter face, is where pressure washing crews make the most per foot. It uses the same footage you already measured, so it is an easy upsell on every gutter quote. For bundling it with a house wash, see the house washing pricing guide.
Hourly vs per foot
Housecall Pro lists hourly rates of $50–$100 Housecall Pro. Hourly is fine for repair work, where you cannot predict the time. For cleaning, per foot is better: it is easy to explain, it rewards efficient setups, and the footage does not change, so repeat customers get the same price every visit.
Set your per-foot rate from your hourly target. If you clean about 100 feet of one-story gutter per hour including setup and cleanup, and you need $90 an hour, your one-story rate is $0.90 per foot. If two-story work drops you to 60 feet an hour, the same $90 target means $1.50 per foot. Time your own crews; those output numbers are an example, not a benchmark.
Housecall Pro suggests aiming for 20%–40% profit margins Housecall Pro, so build margin in after your labor and truck costs, not before.
Recurring service pricing
Fixr recommends cleaning gutters "a minimum of twice a year," in spring and fall Fixr. That makes gutters a natural recurring service. Housecall Pro gives a commercial example of $1.30 per linear foot for quarterly maintenance, lower than a one-time rate Housecall Pro. Offer a small discount for a two-visit plan; it fills your fall and spring routes in advance.
Gutters also pair well with leaf cleanups. If you do lawn work, see fall leaf cleanup pricing.
Mistakes that cost money on gutter quotes
Quoting from house square footage alone. The one-foot-per-10-square-feet rule is a sanity check. A ranch with an attached garage and covered porch can carry far more eave footage than a compact two-story with the same living area. Measure the eaves.
Ignoring the second story on one side only. Many homes are one story in front and two in back, or have a walkout basement that turns a one-story roofline into a two-story ladder setup. Split the footage by height and price each section at its own rate.
Folding downspouts into the base rate. A house with three downspouts and a house with nine take very different amounts of time. Count them and list them.
Not stating what is included. Say whether you bag and haul debris, flush downspouts, and check guards. If you do not, the customer will assume everything is included, and the second visit will turn into a dispute.
Skipping photos on heavy jobs. Ask for a phone photo of the worst section before quoting a house that has not been cleaned in years. The clog premium is where a fair price turns into a losing job.
How to measure gutter length remotely
Gutters run along the eaves, the horizontal bottom edges of the roof. To measure from satellite imagery:
- Trace each eave line on the roof outline.
- Skip the sloped rake edges on gable ends, which usually have no gutter.
- Add the lengths of every eave, including porches and garages.
- Count downspouts from street-level imagery if it is available.
AboveYard's free Fence Length Calculator measures any line on satellite imagery, so it works for tracing eaves too. Satellite footage is a plan view, which is fine here because eaves are horizontal.
A worked quote
A two-story house with 180 linear feet of eaves, 5 downspouts, and moderate buildup.
- Gutter cleaning: 180 × $1.75 = $315
- Downspout flushing: 5 × $30 = $150
- Subtotal: $465
- Optional: exterior brightening, 180 × $1.50 = $270
Check it against the market. $1.75 per foot sits inside Fixr's two-story range of $1.50–$2.50. The $315 cleaning line is above Housecall Pro's typical $150–$275 two-story total, which is expected at 180 feet, so show the footage on the estimate. Homeowners accept a higher number when they can see what it is based on.
For a full estimate layout, see the pressure washing estimate template.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
- How much do contractors charge per linear foot for gutter cleaning?
- Published residential rates run roughly $0.70 to $2.00 per linear foot, with three-story work reaching $2.50 to $3.20. The number of stories matters more than anything else.
- How much more should I charge for a two-story house?
- Fixr lists $0.70 to $1.50 per foot for one story and $1.50 to $2.50 for two, so a second story can roughly double the rate. Price stories into the per-foot rate rather than adding a vague surcharge.
- Should downspouts be priced separately?
- Yes. Housecall Pro lists downspout flushing at $25 to $75 per downspout, and other guides put clogged downspouts at $50 to $100 per job. A separate line keeps the base price competitive.
- How do I find the linear footage without visiting the house?
- Gutters run along the roof eaves, so trace the eave lines on a satellite image and add them up. Skip rake edges on gable ends, which usually have no gutter.
- What minimum should I charge for gutter cleaning?
- Housecall Pro puts single-story jobs at $100 to $180, which works as a practical floor. Your minimum should cover ladder setup, drive time, and cleanup on the smallest house you serve.