Gutter cleaning in Delaware County, PA: older homes, 49 towns and complaints
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
What is different about gutters in Delaware County?
Delaware County's housing is older than its neighbors' and very little of it is new, so most gutter systems here have been in place a long time. The county is also small and divided into many municipalities, which matters when a job raises a local permit question. And it has a consumer affairs office that takes complaints about home repair.
How old is Delaware County's housing?
Older than in any of the five counties except Philadelphia. The Census Bureau's 2020-2024 estimates show that 22.1% of the county's 229,715 housing units were first built in 1939 or earlier, and only 3.5% have been built since 2010, the smallest share of new housing in the region. For comparison, the figures for Pennsylvania are 25.0% and 6.1%.
The county's own history page explains much of this. It describes considerable residential development after the First World War in Upper Darby, Drexel Hill, Havertown and Springfield, continuing after the Second World War in communities such as Westbrook Park and Marple Township. It also says the county is the fourth most populous in the state while having the third smallest land area.
Of the county's housing units, 75.6% are single-family houses, detached or attached; the Census figure does not separate twins and row houses from detached homes.
Why does drainage matter so much around these houses?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists "landscaping, gutters and down spouts that direct water into or under a building" among the common moisture problems that let mold grow, and says gutters should carry rainwater at least 5 feet from the foundation, with the ground sloping away from the house.
Where houses stand close together, that 5 feet can be hard to find. If a downspout empties into a narrow passage between houses, or onto a walk that slopes back toward your wall, that is worth raising with a gutter company. A cleaning clears the trough; it does not by itself change where the downspout discharges.
When do Delaware County's leaves come down?
In 2026, late. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' final foliage report of the season, for the week of November 5, listed Delaware County at peak color, along with Chester, Montgomery and Philadelphia, while Bucks was already declining. One season is not a pattern, but it is a reason to time a single fall cleaning for after the leaves fall rather than in October.
Who sets the rules for gutter work in Delaware County?
Mostly the state, with local questions answered by your municipality. The county is divided into forty-nine municipalities. The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry says some municipalities have their own contractor requirements, that the state keeps no record of them, and that you have to ask the municipality where the work will be done. Ask your borough or township before any job that changes where roof water goes, such as re-routing a downspout into a new underground pipe.
State registration covers home improvement contractors, and you can check a company on the Attorney General's contractor search, filtering by county and by the "Gutters & Downspouts" type of work. Jobs above $500 need a written, signed contract under state law. What Pennsylvania requires explains how that law treats gutter cleaning, which it does not mention.
Who can you turn to if a job goes wrong?
Delaware County's Office of Consumer Affairs offers voluntary mediation and takes complaints about, among other things, home repair and remodeling. It refers suspected criminal or fraudulent cases to the county District Attorney or the state Attorney General. The office is in the Government Center Building at 201 West Front Street in Media, and its number is 610-891-4865.
With 30.4% of the county's occupied homes rented, many readers here are tenants, and the checks above are for whoever hires the contractor. Owners can find businesses serving the area on the Delaware County gutter cleaning page, and the published price ranges are in the cost guide.
Sources
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Delaware County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- Your County at a Glance: History, Delaware County
- Consumer Affairs/Weights & Measures, Delaware County
- 2026 Fall Foliage Report: Week of November 5-11, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
- Mold Course Chapter 2, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Text Version of the Mold House Tour, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Contractor Licensing, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry
- Home Improvement Contractor Search, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
- Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act (2008 Act 132), Pennsylvania General Assembly