Quick answer
When to clean gutters in fall in Northeast Atlanta: For most homes, book the main fall cleaning after the heaviest leaf drop, from late November into December, because the oaks, maples, sweetgums and tulip poplars here let go from late October to the end of the year. Wooded lots usually need a second visit in mid November, and either way the gutters should be clear before the wetter winter months begin; for a free written estimate call (770) 637-5130 or get a free quote.
Leaf season
When the leaves actually come down in Northeast Atlanta
The trees over Northeast Atlanta roofs do not drop everything in one weekend. The fall load comes down over about ten weeks, and the rain that follows is what makes the timing matter.
Our crews work the same calendar every year. The oaks, maples, sweetgums and tulip poplars start letting go in October, the heaviest drop of leaves and sweetgum balls lands in November, and the last of it comes down in December. The loblolly pines never really stop, so their needles are already lying in the trough when the hardwood leaves land on top. On a typical lot in Suwanee, Duluth or Lawrenceville, mid October gutters hold only the first layer.
The rain calendar is the other half. NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 normals, published for local stations by the National Weather Service office in Peachtree City, show October is the driest month of the year at the Atlanta airport, with 3.28 inches, and at the Gainesville airport, with 3.85 inches. Athens is close behind at 3.34 inches. Then the totals climb. December through March averages 18.39 inches at the Atlanta airport, 19.09 inches at Gainesville and 17.52 inches at Athens.
Put those together and you get the trap most homeowners fall into. The leaves pile up during the driest stretch of fall, so nothing overflows and nothing looks wrong. By the time the steady winter rains arrive, the trough is packed, the outlets are plugged with sweetgum balls and the water goes over the front edge instead of down the downspouts.
Why a gutter can look fine in October
A gutter full of dry leaves can still pass a light shower, because water trickles through the loose pile. Once the leaves soak and mat down, they hold water instead of passing it, and wet leaves get heavy enough to pull on the hangers. If you judge your gutters by how they handled the driest month of the year, you are judging them on the easy part of the season. Spring pollen film under the leaves makes them stick, as our gutter cleaning page explains.
What falls
What each tree leaves in a fall gutter
Most lots here mix pines and hardwoods, and each one clogs a gutter its own way.
The side under the oaks will load fast in November. The corner by the sweetgum will plug at the downspout. The pine side never gets a break. That is why one date on the calendar rarely fits every side of the same house.
| Tree | When it drops | What it does in a gutter | What to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loblolly pine | Needles in every month of the year | Needles weave into a mat that holds water and gives leaves something to stick to | Mats along shaded runs and at inside corners |
| Oaks | Leaves from late October into December | Big leaves stack up quickly and get heavy once they are wet | Runs that sag or hangers that pull loose |
| Sweetgum | Leaves and spiky gumballs through the fall | Gumballs roll to the low point and wedge in the downspout elbow | A downspout that trickles while the gutter above it spills |
| Maples and tulip poplars | October through the end of the year | Broad leaves flatten over the outlet like a lid | Overflow right beside a downspout |
Valleys refill the gutter after it is cleaned
Leaves do not only land in the gutter. They collect in roof valleys and slide down with the next rain, so a gutter can refill after a cleaning even in a week when few new leaves fall. A real fall cleaning clears the valleys too, not only the trough below them.
Timing
One cleaning or two: picking your fall dates
There is no single right date for every house. The trees over your roof decide it, and this is how we set fall visits for the lots we see most often.
- Look up before you book.If most of the canopy over the roof is still green, the big drop is still ahead of you, and an early cleaning will not last.
- Open lot, young trees.Newer subdivisions with small trees, like many in Buford and Hoschton, usually do fine with one fall cleaning once the leaves are down, plus a spring visit after pollen season.
- Mixed hardwoods out back.Plan on one cleaning in the middle of the November drop and another after the last leaves come down in December.
- Tall pines over the roof.Needles keep coming after the hardwoods finish, so these lots need visits spread through the year, and they gain the most from gutter guards.
- Book early.The phones ring all at once the week the leaves come down, so getting on the schedule in October beats calling during the rush.
Why too early costs you a visit
A cleaning in early October feels responsible, but on a wooded lot the oaks can refill the gutters before the wet months begin. If you can only do one fall visit, later is usually better than earlier, as long as it happens before the winter rains settle in.
If you would rather not watch the trees at all, our gutter maintenance program sets your visits around what grows over each side of the roof and reaches out before each one comes due.
- Every downspout flushed after the last cleaning of the year.
- Inside corners and valleys cleared, not only the straight runs.
- Hangers checked on runs that carried wet leaves.
- Downspout extensions back in place at the bottom of each downspout.
After the cleaning
Where the leaves should go afterward
Getting leaves out of the gutter is half the job. Where they end up matters to your yard, your street and the creek at the bottom of the hill.
Gwinnett County’s Clean Water guide from its Department of Water Resources is direct about it: compost yard waste like leaves and grass clippings, or use it as mulch, and do not blow it into the street, a storm drain or a drainage ditch. The county’s stormwater page goes further. Anything other than rainwater that enters a storm drain counts as an illicit discharge, which the County Code’s Illicit Discharge and Illegal Connection ordinance prohibits.
There is a practical reason, too. A fall flyer the City of Grayson shares with Gwinnett Water Resources points out that leaves can clog a storm drain pipe and cause localized flooding in your yard or on the road.
The easiest home for leaves is your own beds. In a UGA Extension article, Paul Pugliese recommends shredding leaves with a lawn mower, bagging attachment or leaf shredder so they do not blow away, then spreading a three to five inch layer around trees, shrubs and perennials, or using them as a base under pine straw or bark.
If you would rather bag them
In Gwinnett County’s residential trash service, yard waste pickup is an optional service you set up with your hauler for an added fee. The county asks for yard trimmings in Kraft paper bags or a personal container clearly marked “yard waste,” with each bag or container under 50 pounds. Rules differ from city to city, so check with your own city or hauler before you line the curb.
When our crew cleans your gutters, the debris leaves with us. We do not dump it in your beds or blow it toward the street, and we sweep the walks, decks and driveway of anything the cleaning knocked loose.
- Leaves shredded and spread in the beds, or composted.
- Nothing raked or blown into the curb, a storm drain or a ditch.
- Kraft paper bags, not plastic, if your hauler collects yard waste.
- Leaves raked away from the storm drain at the curb when you can.
DIY or crew
Doing it yourself, or handing it off
Plenty of homeowners here clean their own single story gutters. The difference between a quick pass and a real cleaning is what happens at the downspouts.
If you do it yourself, set the ladder on firm, level ground, never on soft clay or a sloped bed, and have someone steady it. Move the ladder instead of reaching. Use a scoop and a bucket, wear gloves, and finish by running a hose down every downspout. A clean trough sitting over an elbow packed with sweetgum balls still overflows in the first real rain. Leave second story runs, steep sections and gutters over decks or slopes to a crew with the right equipment.
When we clean, a crew member works at gutter level along every run, lifts the wet leaves out by hand, then flushes each downspout and elbow. If a run still overflows halfway along after it has been cleaned, that is a slope or size problem for gutter repair, not a reason for another cleaning.
When guards make more sense than another ladder season
If you are cleaning more than twice a year and the gutters still fill between visits, a guard usually makes more sense than another round of cleanings. Under the pines and hardwoods here, our crews install BroGuard stainless micro-mesh, which keeps needles, leaves and sweetgum balls on top while the rain goes through. Our pine needle gutter guard guide compares the guard styles.
Fall is a good time to ask, because the crew can clean, repair and guard in one visit. Homeowners from Cumming and Roswell to Athens get the same local crew and the same free written estimate.
Leaves coming down on your street? Get on the fall schedule before the rush. Call (770) 637-5130
Get a Free QuoteFrequently Asked Questions
For most homes, the main fall cleaning should come after the heaviest drop, from late November into December. The oaks, maples, sweetgums and tulip poplars here shed from late October to the end of the year, with the most coming down in November. Wooded lots often add a mid November visit.
After, if you can only book one fall visit. An early October cleaning can be refilled by the oaks within weeks. NOAA normals show December through March each average more than 4.3 inches of rain at the Atlanta, Gainesville and Athens airports, so the goal is clear gutters before December.
Gutters without guards here usually need two to four cleanings a year. A late spring visit clears out pine pollen and oak catkins, and a visit after the leaves come down handles the fall load. Lots under tall pines often need more, because the needles never stop.
No. Gwinnett County’s Clean Water guide says to compost leaves or use them as mulch, and not to blow them into the street, a storm drain or a drainage ditch. The county treats anything other than rainwater entering a storm drain as an illicit discharge.
Mostly. With BroGuard stainless micro-mesh on, leaves and sweetgum balls stay on top of the guard instead of packing the trough, so the inside cleanings mostly go away. Valleys and shaded spots still need an occasional brush-off on top, or a lighter maintenance schedule.
Free estimates
Ready to get your gutters through leaf season?
Book a free written estimate with our local crew. We will clear the troughs and valleys by hand, flush every downspout, check the hangers that carried wet leaves and tell you plainly what your home needs before the winter rains.
The Brothers That Just Do Gutters · Northeast Atlanta · (770) 637-5130 · Crews roll out of Suwanee, Marietta, Ball Ground and Watkinsville