Gutters in Wichita, KS

One city, many gutter situations

Wichita was incorporated in 1870 and counted 397,532 residents in the 2020 census, with roughly 172,800 housing units. Those homes went up in waves, and each wave left behind a different kind of roof edge.

• Older core neighborhoods such as Delano, Riverside, College Hill and Midtown have many houses built between the late 1800s and the 1930s. Big street trees mean heavy leaf and seed loads, and some of these homes still have half-round gutters, painted wood fascia or downspouts that run into old clay tile lines.
• Post-war ranches spread across the south, east and west sides when the aircraft plants made Wichita the "Air Capital." Long, low rooflines often carry 5-inch sectional or early seamless gutters that are now decades old, with seams and end caps that drip.
• Newer subdivisions on the far east, far west and northwest sides usually have seamless aluminum gutters from the builder. The common complaints there are undersized downspouts on big roof valleys and splash blocks that dump water against foundations.

Rain, snow and storms in Wichita

Wichita averages about 34 inches of precipitation a year, and much of it falls in spring and early summer thunderstorms that can drop an inch or more in an hour. That is when a clogged inside corner or a downspout sized for a smaller roof shows its limits. The city also averages about 12.7 inches of snow, and the freeze window usually runs from late October into early April, so leaves left in gutters over winter can hold water that freezes and adds weight to hangers.

Hail is the other big factor. Spring storms regularly dent aluminum gutters and downspouts across the metro, and the area has a long tornado history, including the April 26, 1991 storm that crossed the south and east sides and the May 3, 1999 tornado that continued from Haysville into south Wichita. After a storm, dented gutters are often one of the easiest signs of hail to spot from the ground.

Trees and cleaning schedules

If your street has mature oaks, maples, elms or cottonwoods, a twice-a-year cleaning is usually the minimum: once after the leaves drop in late fall and again in late spring after seeds and blossoms. Homes under cottonwoods or pin oaks may need more. Guards help on these streets, but even guarded gutters need checking, because fine debris and seed fluff can sit on top of mesh.

Drainage on Wichita lots

Much of Wichita is flat, and many older lots slope gently or not at all away from the house. Building codes call for directing roof water at least 5 feet from foundations where expansive soils are present, and clay is common in parts of the metro. Longer extensions, buried lines to a daylight outlet or splash pads that actually move water away can matter as much as the gutters themselves.

Permits and city questions

Inside Wichita, building permits are handled by the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (MABCD), which also covers unincorporated Sedgwick County. Gutters are not specifically listed among the permit exemptions in the local code, so if a project includes fascia replacement, roofing or drainage changes, check with MABCD before work starts.

Tell us your address, the type of project and roughly how big the house is, and we'll call you back to talk it through. For published price ranges, see the gutter cost guide.

Wichita gutter services

• Gutter Installation
• Gutter Cleaning
• Gutter Repair
• Seamless Gutters
• Gutter Guards & Covers
• Gutter Replacement
• Hail-Damaged Gutters
• Cost guide

Sources for Wichita facts: Wikipedia: Wichita, Kansas; Wikipedia: Wichita, Kansas (climate); Wichita-Sedgwick County Unified Building and Trade Code (2018 IRC adoption and permit exemptions); MABCD, permits; NWS Wichita, top ten Kansas tornadoes; NWS Wichita, May 3, 1999 Haysville tornado; ICC, 2018 International Residential Code, Section R801.3 roof drainage; National Weather Service Wichita forecast office.