What it costs
| Item | Typical CAD |
|---|---|
| Seamless aluminium, 5-inch, installed | $8–$15 per linear foot |
| Seamless aluminium, 6-inch, installed | $13–$25 per linear foot |
| Galvanised steel | $6–$10 per linear foot |
| Copper | $24–$42 per linear foot |
| Bungalow or 1.5 storey, about 150 ft, 5-inch | $1,500–$2,250 |
| Two storey, about 200 ft, 5-inch | $2,000–$3,000 |
| Detached house, 6-inch with high-flow downspouts | $2,800–$4,600 |
| Minimum service call for a small repair | about $300 |
The two Ontario installers we checked disagree substantially on 6-inch — one quotes $13 to $17, the other $20 to $25. Treat 6-inch as roughly $13 to $25 and ask what the difference covers, because one of those numbers includes removing the old trough and cleaning up and the other may not.
Downspouts are the line item nobody publishes cleanly. The usable rule of thumb is that a downspout costs about three-quarters of the eavestrough rate per foot, and one worked example itemised four downspouts at roughly $40 each. Treat that as thin and ask for downspouts priced separately.
As one Ontario installer puts it: two homes with the same footage can cost different amounts. What moves it is the number of inside and outside corners, how many downspouts and where they land, the height of the house, access, and the condition of the fascia hiding behind the existing trough.
When 6-inch is worth the money
Not always, and it is routinely oversold. Six-inch trough with 3×4 downspouts moves substantially more water than 5-inch with 2×3, which matters on a large or steep roof, on a roof with long valleys dumping into one corner, and in the short intense downpours that now cause most Ontario basement flooding. On a modest bungalow with four downspouts it is money you could put toward the grading instead.
What turns up once the old trough is off
This is where eavestrough quotes go sideways. The fascia board behind the trough has been sitting under a leak for however long the old system was failing.
| Item | Typical CAD |
|---|---|
| Fascia and soffit, vinyl or aluminium | $12–$25 per linear foot installed |
| Fibre-cement or composite | $18–$32 per linear foot |
| Painted cedar | $20–$35 per linear foot |
| Tear-out of the old material | $2.75–$3.50 per linear foot |
| Continuous vented soffit strip | add $5.50–$7 per linear foot |
| Pre-formed aluminium outside corners | $42–$55 each |
| 120 ft single storey, vinyl fascia and soffit | $2,200–$3,300 |
| 120 ft single storey, fibre-cement | $3,600–$5,200 |
Height and access add on top: about 15 per cent for a two-storey, 35 per cent for three, and around 30 per cent where power lines or tight setbacks make the work awkward.
Rotten roof-edge board and drip edge are the one item we could not find a defensible Ontario price for, so we are not giving you one. Ask for it as a contingency line with a rate, not a lump sum, and ask to be shown it before it is replaced.
Gutter guards: the honest version
Guards run $8 to $22 per linear foot installed, or an extra $9 to $20 per foot bundled into a new installation.
The pitch is that you never clean your gutters again. That is not what happens. From a source that does not sell them: your gutters still need cleaning with guards installed, because small debris and pine needles slip through and clog underneath the covers. Specifically — fine debris gets past all of them, pine needles and seeds sneak past brushes and mesh, clogs are harder to spot because the guard hides the trough, and once clogged it is a more intensive job to clear than an open gutter would have been.
So the fair summary is that guards reduce how often you clean, they do not eliminate it, and they make the clogs you do get less visible and more expensive to fix. They earn their keep where you have mature trees dropping continuously, where you have had repeated clogs, where you plan to stay a long time, and where getting on a ladder is genuinely a problem. On a house with no overhanging trees they are largely decorative.
Toronto: disconnecting your downspouts is mandatory
The City’s own wording: it is mandatory for all property owners in Toronto to ensure their downspouts are disconnected from the City’s sewer system. There are no phases or deadlines left — the rollout has concluded and it now applies city-wide.
The legal basis is Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 681, the sewers by-law, which requires an owner whose roof water leader discharges storm water into the sanitary sewer connection, directly or indirectly, to disconnect the down-pipe from the underground portion at grade and conduct the storm water away from the building. “Indirectly” catches open joints in an underground connection that let storm water leak into the sanitary system, which is how a lot of older Toronto houses fail without anyone realising.
What it actually requires: disconnect the downspout from the underground pipe at grade, cap the underground portion, and fit an extension that carries the water away.
If you genuinely cannot
There is an exemption, and it is narrow. It is granted only where disconnection would be hazardous or not technically feasible, and you have to show you tried the alternatives first — relocating a downspout, re-grading, or correcting the slope of the property. The application requires a property sketch and goes in by mail; the decision comes back in writing. The City can revoke an exemption if the information was misleading or if conditions change.
There is also financial help: low-income seniors and people with disabilities can be reimbursed up to $500, where household income is $50,000 or less.
On penalties, we are going to be careful. The by-law carries fines on conviction, and the City has the power to disconnect an offending sewer connection. But the City does not publish an amount on its downspout page, the figures circulating online come from a residents’ association handout rather than from Toronto itself, and we could not read the penalty sections of the by-law directly. If someone quotes you a number, ask where it comes from.
Everywhere else in Ontario
| Municipality | Position |
|---|---|
| Toronto | Mandatory, city-wide, under Municipal Code Chapter 681 |
| Markham | Mandatory under the City’s sewer by-law and York Region’s by-law. The citywide disconnection program completed in December 2022 |
| Peel Region (Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon) | Encouraged rather than stated as mandatory. The Region runs downspout surveys and smoke-tests sewers to find illegal connections |
| Mississauga | Pays $125 per downspout, up to $500 per property |
| Hamilton | Pays $75 plus HST per downspout under its protective plumbing program |
| Halton Region (Burlington, Oakville, Milton, Halton Hills) | Pays up to $900 for disconnection from sanitary sewers |
We could not confirm a requirement in Ottawa, Kitchener or London from those cities’ own pages, so we are not asserting one. If you are there, call before assuming either way.
Where the water has to go
Disconnecting is half the job. Putting the outlet in the wrong place moves the flooding from the sewer to your own foundation, which is not an improvement.
Toronto’s rules: water must flow away from the foundation, must not damage a neighbour’s property or discharge onto a driveway or sidewalk, extensions must not create a tripping hazard across walkways, gates or doorways, and the arrangement must not create dangerous icing in winter. The by-law adds that water must not accumulate at or near the building.
Toronto does not publish a distance. Other municipalities do, and they differ:
- Peel Region: at least 2 metres (about 6 feet) from the foundation, onto ground that slopes away, never onto a neighbour’s property, never onto asphalt or concrete.
- Markham: at least 1 metre from any foundation and 2.5 metres from retaining walls, with the ground sloped away from the house for at least a metre.
- Grading benchmark: the published numbers come from municipalities, not from insurers. Toronto requires side yards and drainage swales at not less than 1.5 per cent and the front yard to the curb at 2 to 6 per cent. The Insurance Bureau of Canada says only to grade the lot so water runs away from the house, without naming a percentage.
A rain barrel is accepted as a storage alternative in some municipalities, including Markham — but a full barrel overflows, so it needs its own overflow route away from the wall.
Do you need a permit?
For replacing eavestrough, soffit and fascia: no building permit. It sits outside the permit regime as maintenance and replacement.
Two exceptions to watch. If the work goes structural — replacing rotted roof framing behind the fascia, for instance — that needs a permit. And if you bury a downspout into a new drain connection rather than discharging at grade, you are into plumbing and drain territory, which does.
Red flags
| What you see | Why it matters | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| A price per foot with no downspout count | Downspouts, corners and access are most of the variation | Ask for downspouts and corners itemised |
| No mention of fascia condition | It is the most common surprise once the old trough comes off | Agree a rate for fascia replacement before work starts, and ask to see it |
| 6-inch trough pushed on a small bungalow | Capacity is about roof area and valleys, not fashion | Ask what roof area drains to each downspout |
| “You’ll never clean your gutters again” | Guards reduce cleaning, they do not end it, and they hide the clogs | Price guards as a convenience, not a solution |
| Downspout reconnected to the same underground pipe | In Toronto and Markham that is what the by-law prohibits | Confirm in writing that downspouts discharge at grade |
| Extension dumping a foot from the wall | Peel asks for 2 m, Markham for 1 m; a short extension recreates the problem | Extend to the published distance and check the grade slopes away |
| Door-to-door eavestrough sales | A common route for pressure selling and no-permit work | Take the quote away, compare two others |
Frequently asked questions
Six-inch trough with larger downspouts moves considerably more water, which matters on a large or steep roof, where long valleys concentrate flow into one corner, and in the short intense storms that cause most Ontario basement flooding. On a modest bungalow with adequate downspouts, 5-inch is usually enough and the money is better spent on extending the downspouts and fixing the grade.
They reduce how often you clean but do not eliminate it. Fine debris, pine needles and seeds still get through, and because the guard covers the trough, clogs are harder to see and more work to clear once they form. They make sense with mature overhanging trees, a history of clogs, a long expected stay, or where ladder work is a real problem. On a house with no trees over the roof they buy little.
No building permit is required for replacing eavestrough, soffit or fascia — it falls outside the permit regime as maintenance and replacement. A permit is required if the work becomes structural, such as replacing rotted roof framing, or if you run a downspout into a new buried drain connection rather than discharging at grade.
Toronto sets rules but no distance — water must flow away from the foundation and must not run onto a neighbour’s property, a driveway or a sidewalk. Peel Region asks for at least 2 metres from the foundation onto ground that slopes away; Markham asks for at least 1 metre from any foundation and 2.5 metres from retaining walls. Slope figures come from municipalities rather than insurers: Toronto sets side yards and swales at not less than 1.5 per cent and the front yard to the curb at 2 to 6 per cent.
Yes. The City states it is mandatory for all property owners to ensure downspouts are disconnected from the City’s sewer system, under Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 681. You disconnect the down-pipe at grade, cap the underground portion and direct water away from the building. An exemption exists only where disconnection is hazardous or not technically feasible, and only after you have shown that relocating a downspout, re-grading or correcting the slope will not work.
Seamless aluminium runs about $8 to $15 per linear foot installed in 5-inch and $13 to $25 in 6-inch. A bungalow of around 150 feet lands at $1,500 to $2,250 in 5-inch, a two-storey of around 200 feet at $2,000 to $3,000, and a detached house with 6-inch trough and high-flow downspouts at $2,800 to $4,600. Steel is cheaper at $6 to $10 a foot and copper far dearer at $24 to $42.
Sources
- City of Toronto — mandatory downspout disconnection, including the exemption process and the $500 assistance for low-income seniors and people with disabilities, toronto.ca, checked 19 September 2026
- Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 681 (Sewers) — roof water leader provisions, toronto.ca, checked 19 September 2026
- City of Markham — sanitary sewer downspout disconnection program and discharge distances, markham.ca, checked 19 September 2026
- Region of Peel — disconnecting your downspout, including the 2 metre discharge rule, peelregion.ca, checked 19 September 2026
- City of Mississauga — basement flooding prevention rebate; City of Hamilton — protective plumbing program; Halton Region — basement flooding prevention subsidy, all checked 19 September 2026
- City of Toronto — when do I need a building permit, toronto.ca, checked 19 September 2026
- Insurance Bureau of Canada — basement flood protection guidance (grade the lot away from the house; the 2 per cent figure on that page is the slope of the backwater valve pipe, not lot grading), ibc.ca, checked 19 September 2026
- City of Toronto — lot grading requirements for infill housing, the source of the 1.5 per cent and 2 to 6 per cent slope figures, toronto.ca, checked 19 September 2026
- Gutter guard assessment: Angi, a marketplace that does not sell guards, checked 19 September 2026
- Pricing ranges: eavestrough.to, Only Eavestroughs (London) and RoofingCalculatorHQ, checked 19 September 2026
Municipal requirements differ across Ontario and change without notice. Confirm your own city’s rules before relying on anything here. Carpenter Bee does not install eavestrough and does not inspect properties.
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