Roof Moss and Gutter Care Under the Redwoods of Guerneville
Guerneville sits in redwood country on the Russian River, where needles, shade and long wet winters work on roofs and gutters every year. We sweep the needles off, take the moss down and keep rainwater headed for the downspouts.
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Guerneville, CA
Who cleans roofs and gutters in Guerneville?
Nor-Cal Maintenance does, from our main office on Banyan Street in Santa Rosa, about 18 road miles east by Guerneville Road and Highway 116. Guerneville is one of the towns listed on our Santa Rosa Google profile. We sweep needles off roofs, remove and treat moss, clean gutters and fit gutter guards.
The town was first called Stumptown, a name that came from its 19th-century logging, and later took the name of George Guerne, a Swiss sawmill owner. The railroad reached it in 1877, and train service ended in the late 1930s. Much of the housing is old: Census Bureau estimates put the median year built at 1955, with about a third of all homes dating from 1939 or earlier. Roughly one housing unit in four is kept for seasonal or occasional use, so plenty of roofs here go weeks with nobody looking at them. That is where roof moss removal and regular gutter cleaning earn their keep.
Housing: U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates. Rainfall: NOAA 1991–2020 normals for the nearest station. Distance is approximate road miles.
About Guerneville
Why do Guerneville roofs grow moss and fill their gutters?
Shade, needles and rain. The Pomo name for the area, Ceola, meant “shady place,” and it still fits: State Parks lists tanoak, Douglas fir, California laurel and bigleaf maple among the coast redwoods three miles north. The old Guerneville weather station averaged 48 inches of rain a year, so needles on a shaded roof stay wet for months.
Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve, three miles north of town on Armstrong Woods Road, protects 805 acres of old-growth forest, including the Colonel Armstrong Tree, estimated at more than 1,400 years old. The State Parks page for the reserve puts the grove’s tallest tree, the Parson Jones, at more than 310 feet. The park’s brochure notes that in winter the forest floor fills with mosses, lichens and liverworts, which is a fair picture of what a shaded roof nearby can grow.
Then there is the river. The National Weather Service’s Guerneville river gauge sets flood stage at 32 feet, the level where lower Mill Street starts to flood. The Russian River crested at 45.38 feet on February 27, 2019, and the record is 49.5 feet, from February 18, 1986. Since the 1990s, FEMA money has paid to raise many homes along the river onto taller foundations, which leaves their gutters and downspouts a long way off the ground.
Fire is the summer worry. CAL FIRE’s 2024-25 maps place all of Guerneville in the State Responsibility Area, nearly all of it rated High, with small Very High patches. In August 2020 the Walbridge Fire, one of the lightning fires of the LNU Complex, put the whole town under an evacuation order on August 18. The state law for these areas, as cited on Sonoma County’s inspection form, calls for removing leaves and needles from roofs and gutters.
Local rules
Which rules touch roof and gutter work in Guerneville?
County rules, since Guerneville isn’t a city. Permit Sonoma handles building permits, and gutters aren’t on its list of work that skips one. Because the town lies in the State Responsibility Area, the state’s defensible space law and the county’s fire safety ordinance both call for roofs and gutters kept clear of leaves and needles.
Guerneville rules worth knowing before roof work
- Before replacing gutters, read Permit Sonoma’s list of work that needs no permit. Treat anything missing from it as needing one, and call (707) 565-1900 to ask.
- Clear needles and leaves off the roof and out of the gutters ahead of fire season, as the county’s State Responsibility Area inspection form lists under Public Resources Code 4291.
- Keep branches at least 10 feet back from any chimney or stovepipe outlet, another item on that same form.
- In a big storm, watch the river gauge. Lower Mill Street floods at 32 feet, and by 37 feet the water reaches Mill Street and 5th Street.
- Fire safety questions in the unincorporated county go to Permit Sonoma Fire Prevention, (707) 565-2361, which enforces the county’s Chapter 13A ordinance.
Services in Guerneville
Which of our services fit a Guerneville house?
Under redwoods, roof moss removal and gutter cleaning usually come first, often on the same visit. Gutter guards cut down on how much needle litter stays in the gutter, gutter repairs deal with leaks on older systems, and new gutters replace runs past saving.
FAQ
Guerneville Questions
Is Guerneville in a fire hazard severity zone?
Yes. CAL FIRE’s 2024-25 maps place the whole community in the State Responsibility Area, and nearly all of it is rated High, with a few Very High pockets. In that area, state law asks owners to keep roofs and gutters clear of leaves and needles, and new homes have to be built to the state’s wildfire building code.
Does roof moss come back after it's removed?
It can, which is why the roof gets a treatment after the moss comes off. Steve F. wrote that we cleaned the gutters and removed roof moss in June 2022, then treated the roof, and four years later there was “still no sign of the moss coming back.” Under Guerneville’s shade and rain, that treatment step matters.
Can you look after a second home in Guerneville?
Yes. Census estimates count about one housing unit in four in Guerneville as a seasonal or occasional home, and those roofs collect needles whether anyone is there or not. Our Peace of Mind Program sets up yearly exterior care on a schedule, and reviewers mention getting before and after pictures, which helps when you can’t be there.
How much rain does Guerneville get?
A lot. The old Guerneville co-op weather station averaged 48 inches a year over its run from the 1940s to 1970, and January 1970 alone brought 29.08 inches. More recently, two volunteer gauges near town caught roughly 12 inches over February 26 and 27, 2019, as the river rose toward its crest.
Nearby
Besides Guerneville, which nearby towns do we serve?
Sebastopol is about 14 road miles south on Highway 116, and Healdsburg is about 18 miles northeast by River Road and Westside Road. Santa Rosa, home to our main office, lies about 18 road miles east, and our Windsor office covers the north county. Our service area list has the rest.
Talk to Dave's team
Redwood needles on the roof again?
Call (707) 940-7875 and we’ll set up a visit to clear the roof and gutters.