The short version: in October and November, a Philadelphia homeowner should clear the gutters and downspouts after most of the leaves have fallen, make sure roof and yard water runs away from the house, book the heating and chimney checks, test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, clean the dryer vent, shut off and drain outdoor faucets, seal the gaps that let cold air in, and get ready for the first snow, because the City expects your sidewalk cleared within six hours after it stops. Most of this is a weekend of work. A few items are better left to a pro, and they're worth booking before the winter rush.
Below is the checklist in a sensible order, with the local details that generic lists leave out. This is general information; for anything involving permits or code, check with the City or your township.
October: outside, while the weather is mild
Gutters, downspouts and where the water goes
Leaves in a gutter hold water against the fascia and, in a freeze, turn into ice that pulls the gutter away from the house. In neighborhoods with big street trees, one cleaning in late fall usually isn't enough; plan on a second pass once the trees are bare.
While you're at it, look at where each downspout ends. In older parts of the city, some downspouts are piped into the house's sewer line rather than onto the ground. That matters if your basement has ever backed up in a storm. The Philadelphia Water Department's Basement Backup Protection Program installs backwater valves at no cost for eligible homeowners, and some properties may also get downspout modifications at no cost when roof water drains into the sewer pipe. Eligibility conditions are listed on that page; among them, your water bill must be current or on a payment agreement, and the sewer pipe from your home must be in good condition.
PWD draws a clear line between two kinds of basement water:
- Sewer backup: water comes up through floor drains, toilets or basement plumbing during heavy rain. That's what the backwater valve program is for.
- Seepage: water comes through the walls because of poor drainage around the house. The program doesn't cover it; the fixes are usually about grading, downspout extensions and gutters.
Before winter, walk the outside of the house after a rain and see where water collects. Downspout extensions that carry water a few feet from the foundation are a cheap fix; a yard or walkway that slopes toward the house is a bigger job.
Leaves: the City's program, and what not to do
The City's Philly Leaf Recycling Program runs from November 2 to December 19, 2026. In neighborhoods with mechanical collection, residents rake leaves into the street by 7 a.m. on the scheduled day, without bagging or piling them, and move cars off the street if they can. Everywhere else, leaves in large brown paper bags can go to Saturday drop-off sites. The City's page has the schedule, the drop-off list and an address lookup. Leaves put out in regular bags with the trash are treated as trash and aren't composted.
Don't rake leaves onto storm drains. A clogged inlet can leave water pooling at the curb in the next heavy rain.
Roof, flashing and the parapet
On a flat rowhome roof, look for ponding, blistered or split seams, and loose flashing where the roof meets the parapet wall or the neighbor's roof. Our guide to flat roof maintenance before winter goes through it step by step. If getting onto the roof means a ladder on the front of the house or crossing a neighbor's roof, that's a job for a pro.
Masonry, steps and railings
Freeze-thaw cycles make small cracks bigger. Check the front steps, the stoop, the pointing on brick walls, and the posts of iron railings, where water sits and rust starts. Note what you find; repointing and step repair are spring jobs in most cases, but a loose railing should be fixed before the steps get icy.
Late October: heating, chimney and air leaks
Book the heating check
Schedule a furnace or boiler tune-up before the first cold week, when every technician's calendar fills up. What a tune-up should include, and what you can do yourself, is in our guide to the furnace and boiler tune-up before winter. If you burn wood, or your gas appliances vent into an old masonry chimney, read chimney inspection before your first fire too.
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends carbon monoxide alarms on each level of the home and outside sleeping areas, and testing smoke and CO alarms monthly. A good habit is to check them when the clocks change; this year daylight saving time ends on Sunday, November 1.
If you own and live in a one- or two-family home in Philadelphia, you can ask the Fire Department to install smoke alarms through Philly311. The City says installation can take up to 90 days after the request, so ask now rather than in January. If you rent, the landlord must provide smoke alarms on every level.
Dryer vent
Lint in the duct is a fire risk and makes the dryer run longer. The U.S. Fire Administration's clothes dryer fire safety flyer says to clean the lint filter before and after each load, check that the duct behind the dryer isn't damaged, crushed or restricted, and make sure the outdoor vent flap opens when the dryer runs. In a rowhome, the dryer often vents through a long run to the back wall or up through the roof. If clothes take longer to dry than they used to, the duct probably needs cleaning.
Air leaks
Cold air in an old house comes in around windows and doors, at the basement rim joist, around pipes that go through outside walls, and through the mail slot. Weatherstripping, door sweeps and caulk are cheap, ordinary handyman work. For old wood windows, our guide to drafty windows covers repair, storm windows and replacement.
November: get ready for the first freeze
Outdoor faucets and exposed pipes
Shut off the inside valve that feeds each outdoor faucet, open the faucet outside to drain it, and disconnect the hose. Pipes in an unheated rear addition, crawl space or along an outside wall are the usual freeze points in Philadelphia rowhomes. Our guide to preventing frozen pipes explains how to find them and what to do during a cold snap.
Know where your shutoffs are
Find and label the main water shutoff, often in the basement where the water line enters from the street, and make sure it turns. Know where the gas meter and the electrical panel are. A burst pipe at 2 a.m. is not the time to discover a frozen valve.
Gas vents and the meter
High-efficiency furnaces, boilers and water heaters often vent through a plastic pipe in a side or back wall. PGW has asked customers to keep exhaust vents and outdoor meters clear of snow and ice, and says this is especially important for vents within three feet of the ground, because a blocked vent can cause carbon monoxide problems. Check now that nothing is stacked against them, and remember them after each snowfall.
Sidewalk, shovel and ice melt
Under City rules, you must remove snow from your sidewalk within six hours after the snow stops, clearing a path at least 36 inches wide, and you must not shovel or sweep snow into the street. Buy the shovel and ice melt before the first forecast, when stores run out. If you travel or can't shovel, arrange for someone to do it. Suburban townships set their own sidewalk rules; check your township's website.
The checklist
- Clean gutters and downspouts after the leaves fall, and again if your street has big trees.
- Check where each downspout drains; extend it away from the foundation.
- If your basement has had sewer backups, look into PWD's Basement Backup Protection Program.
- Look up your leaf collection week or drop-off site on phila.gov; keep leaves off storm drains.
- Inspect the flat roof, seams, flashing and parapet.
- Check steps, stoop, railings and brick pointing for loose or cracked spots.
- Book the furnace or boiler tune-up, and the chimney inspection if you use it.
- Test smoke and CO alarms; replace old ones; request free smoke alarms through Philly311 if eligible.
- Clean the dryer vent and check the outside flap.
- Weatherstrip doors, add a door sweep, seal gaps around pipes and at the rim joist.
- Shut off and drain outdoor faucets; disconnect hoses.
- Locate and test the main water shutoff; know where the gas meter and panel are.
- Clear the area around gas vents and the meter.
- Have a shovel and ice melt ready, and a plan for clearing the sidewalk within six hours.
When to call a pro
Many items on this list are safe weekend work. Call a pro when:
- the work is on a ladder above the first floor, on a roof, or crosses a neighbor's property;
- you find rot in fascia boards, sills or door frames, not just peeling paint;
- a railing or step is loose, or brick is crumbling;
- water comes into the basement and you can't tell whether it's a backup or seepage;
- the dryer duct is long, crushed or goes through the roof;
- any gas, electrical or heating work beyond changing a filter or a battery.
A lot of these are small jobs that a single handyman visit can cover together: re-hang a sagging gutter, add downspout extensions, replace door sweeps and weatherstripping, fix a loose railing, caulk around windows. Listing them all in one request usually makes more sense than calling about each one. On HomeKept you can post the project once on the handyman and repairs page for Philadelphia, describe each task with a photo, and compare up to three estimates from local pros. It's free for homeowners. Before you hire anyone, our guide on how to check a contractor in Philadelphia explains what to verify.
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