Building services · United States
How to Start a Gutter Cleaning Business (Costs, Pricing per Foot, and Height)
Price the foot and the height. Putting in a new gutter is a different trade.
- 18,069NAICS 561790 establishments, Census 2023
- 73.6%of those have fewer than 5 employees (13,290 ÷ 18,069)
- 9,142NAICS 238170 gutter-installation establishments
- 75.1%of those installation firms have fewer than 5 employees (6,866 ÷ 9,142)
Decision summary
- The 2022 NAICS index file lists “Gutter cleaning services” under 561790. It lists “Gutter and downspout contractors” and “Gutters, seamless roof, formed and installed on site” under 238170.
- Census County Business Patterns 2023, legal form
-: 18,069 establishments and 90,169 employees in 561790. 13,290 establishments have fewer than 5 employees, which is 73.6% (13,290 ÷ 18,069). Read from cbp23us.zip on November 6, 2026. That code also includes pressure washing and other building services. It is not gutter cleaners alone. - The same file counts 9,142 establishments in 238170. 6,866 have fewer than 5 employees, which is 75.1% (6,866 ÷ 9,142). Employment in that row is 41,885, with noise flag G. That count is installation, not cleaning. Do not add 18,069 and 9,142.
- An Insureon gutter-installation page opened on November 6, 2026 and did not list a monthly premium. No gutter-cleaning premium was opened either.
On this page
0. One-story runs
- Measure feet of gutter, not “a house.” Corners and downspouts add minutes.
- Cleaning a gutter and hanging a new one are different index lines. This page prices cleaning.
- Leaves have to go somewhere. Bagging and a dump trip are part of the foot or a separate line.
Gutter cleaning startup costs
A national startup total is not on this page. No ladder or blower shelf price opened on November 6, 2026. The Census counts below are industry sizes, not a shopping list. Insurance dollars for this trade were not on the page that opened.
| Code | Establishments | What the index says |
|---|---|---|
| 561790 | 18,069 | Includes gutter cleaning, and also other services to buildings. 13,290 have fewer than 5 employees (73.6%). |
| 238170 | 9,142 | Gutter and downspout contractors, including seamless gutters formed on site. 6,866 have fewer than 5 employees (75.1%). Not a cleaning count. |
Permits
A state license that names only gutter cleaning was not opened. Not yet researched as a fee table. The split that was read is the index: cleaning is inside 561790, installation is 238170. If the job is a new gutter or a repair that needs a permit, stop and open the building department. Roof-edge work is a height you price or you do not sell.
Insurance
No monthly premium for gutter cleaning was opened on November 6, 2026. The Insureon page about gutter installation listed factors such as equipment and claims history and did not print a dollar sample. Do not reuse the window-cleaning or pressure-washing samples as if they were this trade. Get a quote that names ladder and roof-edge work before the first paid foot.
Does the foot pay?
Profit on one foot is the price minus bags and disposal minus the minutes. Profit for the month also has to clear the ladder, insurance, and the vehicle once you know those bills. The building-services count does not set the price. No national price per foot was opened. A two-story run is more minutes than a ranch. Type the minutes you measured.
Price one foot of gutter
Type what you charge per foot, what bags or disposal cost per foot, and how many minutes that foot takes. Type 0 only when the cost really is zero. Empty stays unknown.
10. A second ladder
Add another person when paid feet already overflow the week and the contribution still covers a wage and the drive. The section number is an outline label, not a headcount. Two-story and installation work stay separate offers.
First 90 days
- Days 1–14: measure one-story runs you can reach. Note downspouts separately.
- Days 15–45: ask for an insurance quote that names the height. Do not invent a premium from another trade.
- Days 46–90: time real feet in the tool, including bagging. Buy a blower only after those feet cover disposal, minutes, and the month’s fixed costs.
When to stop
Drop a run when the minutes and the disposal use up the price per foot, or when the height is work you have not priced. The tool hides break-even feet in the first case. A seamless replacement is the installation trade, not this page.
Questions people ask
How do you start a gutter cleaning business?
Start with one-story runs you can reach, and price the foot before you buy a second ladder. The 2022 NAICS index lists gutter cleaning services under 561790. It lists gutter and downspout installation under 238170. Cleaning and installing are different lines. A ladder shelf price was not opened on November 6, 2026.
How much does it cost to start gutter cleaning?
This page does not have a national startup total. No ladder, blower, or bag shelf price opened on November 6, 2026. An Insureon gutter-installation page opened the same day and listed no monthly premium, so none is printed. Installation is also a different Census code from cleaning.
How much should I charge for gutter cleaning?
On this page, a foot pays when the price covers disposal and the minutes for that foot, and the month’s feet cover the fixed costs you type. The tool prints break-even feet only when that contribution is positive. No national price per foot was opened.
How many gutter cleaning businesses are there?
Census County Business Patterns 2023 counts 18,069 employer establishments in NAICS 561790. 13,290 have fewer than 5 employees, which is 13,290 ÷ 18,069, or 73.6%. Gutter cleaning is one index line inside that building-services code, so 18,069 is not gutter cleaners alone. Gutter installation is NAICS 238170, with 9,142 establishments. Do not add the two counts.
Do I need a gutter cleaning license?
A state page that licenses only gutter cleaning was not opened on November 6, 2026. Working at the roof edge is a height question, not a fee this page found. Other states are not yet researched. Installing a new gutter is the 238170 trade, not this cleaning offer.
How much is gutter cleaning insurance?
No gutter-cleaning premium was opened. The Insureon gutter page that did open is about installation, and it did not list a monthly dollar amount. Roof-edge work needs a quote that names the height. Do not borrow a pressure-washing or window-cleaning sample and call it a gutter premium.
Is gutter installation the same business?
No. The index puts installation, including seamless gutters formed on site, under 238170. This page prices cleaning a gutter that is already there. A replacement run needs its own price and its own code.
How do you price gutter cleaning per foot?
Type the price per foot, bags and disposal per foot, the minutes for one foot, and a loaded hourly rate. Type 0 for disposal only when the cost really is zero. Empty stays unknown. Break-even feet appear only after fixed costs are entered and the contribution is still positive.
When should I add a second ladder?
When paid feet already overflow the week and the contribution still covers another person and the drive. A ladder price was not read. Two-story work stays off the offer until the minutes and the height are in the price.
Still open
- 18,069 is all of NAICS 561790. Gutter cleaning is one index line inside it.
- 9,142 is gutter installation, not cleaning.
- No ladder, blower, or insurance premium was opened.
- No 50-state license table.