November 4, 2026steel buildings

Gutters and Snow Guards on Metal Buildings in Spokane: What to Plan Before You Order (2026)

Short answer: yes, most metal buildings around Spokane benefit from gutters, but on a sloped metal roof the gutter has to be planned around sliding snow, and snow guards change how the roof is engineered. Spokane International Airport averages 45.4 inches of snow a year, and Spokane County designs buildings for a 39 psf ground snow load. A metal roof sheds that snow fast. Here's how gutters, downspouts and snow guards work on a pre-engineered metal building (PEMB) or pole building in Eastern Washington, and what to decide before the building is ordered.

Why metal roofs are different

Metal roof panels are a slippery surface, so snow slides off them in sheets instead of melting in place.

Steeper roofs shed more: the Metal Building Manufacturers Association's snow removal guidance notes that much of the snow tends to slide off roofs steeper than 4:12 and relatively little slides off low-slope roofs
The engineer counts on it: Structure magazine's article on metal building snow loads explains that a sloped, slippery roof can be designed for a reduced snow load, but only if the roof is unobstructed and there's room below the eave for the snow to land
Lower roofs take the hit: under ASCE 7, the load standard behind Washington's building code, snow sliding off a slippery upper roof steeper than 1/4:12 has to be added to any lower roof it lands on, spread over 15 feet from the eave. That matters for lean-tos and porch roofs under a main roof

Do metal buildings need gutters?

Washington's residential code doesn't require gutters on every building. Section R801.3 requires a controlled way to collect roof water and discharge it at least 5 feet from the foundation where expansive or collapsible soils are known to exist. On most shop sites, gutters are a choice, and here's how we think about it:

Gutters help when: the eave is over a walk door, a driveway, a concrete apron or a walkway, when roof water would wash out gravel or splash mud onto the wall, or when you want to collect and direct water away from the slab
You might skip them when: the eave drips onto open ground with good drainage, nobody walks under it, and a gravel drip strip can handle the water
Gable ends: roof water comes off the eave sides, so door placement on the gable ends often avoids both the water and the sliding snow

How sliding snow damages gutters

The most common gutter failure on a metal building in our climate isn't rust or a leak. It's snow and ice tearing the gutter off.

Mount it low enough: the UK Metal Gutter Manufacturers Association's snow guidance says the top front lip of the gutter shouldn't sit above the line of the roof slope, so sliding snow passes over it instead of hitting it
Frozen gutters add load: MBMA's guidance warns that gutters, downspouts and roof drains can freeze solid, letting ice build up and water back up on the roof, which creates extreme loading. It says freezing is most likely on the north side and in shaded areas
Heat tape helps, with limits: MBMA suggests heat tape in gutters and downspouts as a simple precaution, but notes it may not be fully effective in extreme cold and should be checked regularly

We size gutter straps and hangers for the building and set the gutter where sliding snow clears it.

Snow guards: when they make sense

Snow guards (also called snow retention) are clamps, bars or pads fastened to the roof to hold snow in place so it melts off gradually instead of avalanching.

Where they're worth it: over walk doors, overhead doors, walkways, parking spots, a lower roof or lean-to, and anything at the eave like a gas meter, vent or electrical service
They're a life-safety item: the Metal Construction Association's snow retention bulletin notes that North American codes rarely require snow retention, and says a retention system should be engineered for the specific roof
They change the engineering: snow guards are an obstruction. Structure magazine notes that obstructions such as snow retention devices remove the sloped-roof snow load reduction, so the roof has to be designed to hold its snow
Rows, not one line at the eave: the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' cold regions lab (CRREL) recommends multiple rows spaced up the roof rather than one last-resort row near the eave, and says design loads on a snow guard should stay under half the failure load the manufacturer reports
Attachment matters: CRREL's field testing on metal roofs found that peel-and-stick butyl-tape snow guards didn't survive even one mild winter. Use a system made for your panel type and installed to the manufacturer's instructions

That's why we decide on snow guards before the building is ordered. Adding them later can put more load on a roof than it was designed for, so the building engineer needs to know up front.

Where the roof water goes

Gutters move the water. You still need somewhere for it to go:

Splash blocks and drip strips: simplest, as long as the water drains away from the foundation and off your neighbor's property
Drywells: Washington Ecology treats a drywell or an infiltration trench with perforated pipe as an underground injection control (UIC) well. Under WAC 173-218-100, a well that only takes runoff from a residential roof is exempt from registration. A well that also takes driveway or parking runoff, or serves a commercial building, has to be registered with Ecology
Permitted sites: Spokane County may ask for a surface drainage plan with a building permit, and if your lot has an approved drainage design, roof water has to go where that plan says

Our retaining wall drainage guide covers where water can legally discharge in Spokane.

Questions to settle before you order

Which eaves get gutters, and where the downspouts discharge
Where the doors go, ideally on the gable ends or under a protected overhang
Whether you want snow guards, and over which areas, so the engineer designs the roof for retained snow
Lean-tos or lower roofs below the main roof, which have to be designed for sliding snow. See our lean-to guide
Roof panel type, since standing seam and exposed-fastener PBR use different snow guard attachments. See our PBR vs. R-panel vs. standing seam guide
Your parcel's snow load, which can run far above 39 psf on higher ground. See our Spokane County snow load guide

What Raven does

Raven Buildings designs and builds pre-engineered metal buildings and pole buildings across Spokane County and Eastern Washington. We aren't tied to one manufacturer, so we source from whichever has the fastest delivery, and we plan gutters, doors and snow guards with the building engineer before the order goes in.

Raven's installed price for a pre-engineered metal building or pole building runs about $60 to $75 per sq ft, with electrical, plumbing and utility hookups extra. Gutters and snow retention are quoted with your building. New to steel buildings? Start with what a pre-engineered metal building is.

Get a quote

Call 509-350-2016 or request a free quote with your building size, door layout and address or parcel number. See our steel building services.

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