A committee of New Canaan’s legislative body is working to move a proposed ordinance for a seasonal ban on gas-powered leaf blowers to the full Town Council.
Amid several differences of opinion, members of the group’s Bylaws & Ordinances Committee last week homed in on a draft version of what would be a new local law if the Town Council—following a future public hearing—votes in favor.
As it stands, the proposed ordinance calls for a ban on the use of gas-powered leaf blowers from Memorial Day to Labor Day, with some exemptions (see below), as well as a ban on electric leaf blowers during the same summer period outside of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and 12 to 4 p.m. on weekends.
The exemptions that the Committee is considering in the use of gas-powered leaf blowers during the summer period—there’s no limit outside of those approximately three months—include for emergency and safety purposes, storm cleanup or snow removal, Department of Public Works use and/or public utility companies clearing debris that affects essential services.
The Committee also is weighing an allowance for property owners using leaf blowers for a very short period of time to clear “hard surfaces” such as sports courts, decks and walkways.
Committee members in favor of the draft ordinance point to a desire for more quiet in the summer as well as the environmental and public health benefits of reducing the use of gas-powered leaf blowers. Those voicing concerns about it raised questions about unintended financial consequences, including higher costs for landscaping companies that will be passed along to taxpaying residents, compliance and enforcement.
The Committee’s vice chair, Eric Thunem, spoke out against any type of ban on electric leaf blowers.
“I don’t remember hearing anyone complain about the use of electric leaf blowers and I strongly believe we should not be putting any restrictions on electric leaf blowers in this ordinance draft,” Thunem said during a discursive Jan. 29 meeting that lasted nearly two hours, held at Town Hall and via videoconference.
He continued: “With respect to gas-powered leaf blowers, I want to make clear that I am not opposed to restrictions during the summer. What I am opposed to is a complete ban on gas-powered leaf blowers in the summer, and I think a step-by-step approach makes a lot more sense… We have not heard from a majority of town residents on this issue.”
Thunem said he favored an ordinance that would start out by taking the restrictions proposed for electric leaf blowers during the summer period and applying those to the gas-powered equipment.
Addressing concerns about rising costs for landscapers, Committee member Kimberly Norton said, “As much as I am sympathetic to their arguments, we are representing the residents, not lawn care companies. So lawn care companies can still do business, but this is a tweak in the way they have to take care of lawns and it’s only for the summer. They can do whatever they want the rest of the year.”
Committee Chair Hilary Ormond called for the group to meet once more prior to bringing a draft ordinance to the full Town Council, hopefully before the legislative body takes up the municipal budget.
Committee members discussed, and often disagreed on, several specifics of a possible ordinance. They include how residents would be notified of the change, who would enforce the new local law (Norton noted that, by Charter, ordinances are enforced by police), how fines would work, the exact hours of a summertime restriction on use of electric leaf blowers, dates of the summer ban and when the ordinance would take effect. A printed copy of the draft ordinance before the Committee was distributed to members of the public in attendance, though the town did not immediately respond to a request for a copy of it.
Rather than figuring out all the specifics, Ormond said the Committee should focus on getting a strong draft ordinance in front of the Town Council for the full body’s own extensive review.
“I don’t want perfect to be the enemy of good, especially when we are starting out,” she said.
Ormond said that the town has considered a possible ban or restrictions on gas-powered leaf blowers for at least five years, and that the issue returned with force last summer.
Thunem said the ordinance that the Committee is thinking of passing along to the full Town Council is “essentially unenforceable.”
“I don’t know who is going to be enforcing this ordinance,” he said. “My supposition is that the New Canaan Police Department has far higher priorities on its agenda of things they need to do. I don’t see the New Canaan Police policing town residents on their use.”
Regarding questions of compliance among residents and commercial property owners, Ormond said, “You are never going to get 100% compliance out of the gate for any law or ordinance.”
In addition to Ormond, Thunem and Norton, Committee members in attendance included Mike Rodgers, Cristina A. Ross and Maria Naughton. Committee members Jennifer Zonis and Heather Russell were absent.
This is great news. There’s an incredible amount of science-backed data around the negative impacts of noise pollution, on human health, learning, and the environment. Most is online, you can also check out a nonprofit org called Quiet Communities that has credible research findings as well.
I agree! I’m so excited for bans on gas leaf blowers. Sitting outside in the summer and enjoying the sounds of nature is one of my favorite things.
I strongly agree with a summer ban on gas powered leaf blowers. They are incredibly polluting to our environment in terms of both air pollution and noise pollution. This is also an important quality of life issue for many in town. A 3 month summertime ban is mild restriction that we can all hopefully live with.
Gas mowers, jackhammers, and backhoes are permitted from 7-7 on weekdays, but electric leaf blowers aren’t? If this proposed ordinance were to be observed (which it won’t be) the net effect would be to prevent landscapers from blowing clippings to the curb and off walkways and driveways.
Electric leaf blower use should be encouraged during ‘working hours’.
Yet again, another cause celebre in which a vocal minority can hold a silent majority hostage. Are gas-powered leaf blowers noisy? Yes, for about 10-15 minutes. You know what is noisier? The construction vehicles that run 12+ hours a day, six days a week. But, I guess that’s not a sexy, virtue signaling topic for the minority to grab onto. What’s next? Should we all cut our grass by hand?
Thank you to the committee for bringing this to a vote. Gas leaf blowers are grossly overused, hazardous to people and critters that support our wild life and are a disruption to peace and quiet. If I had my way, I’d let Mother Nature do her job and ban the things all together!
An important point in this conversation is that a summer restriction happens at a time when gas blowers are less important than in Fall. Raking clippings or using a bag to collect them are viable alternatives in summer. Let’s please avoid the false narrative that only a tiny handful of folks in town care about this. We all moved here for a quality of life and health, and for the opportunity to be part of the government of our town. Listening to the science, observing best practices in place in nearby communities, and engaging in civil discourse is what’s happening now. Our Town Council was elected to represent the citizens of New Canaan. Let that process with our input on all sides of the issue unfold.
How will this ordinance be enforced? Last year Greenwich police received 536 calls about gas leaf blowers. Do we really want our police spending their time and budget on this issue? Plus the landscapers will pass their costs straight onto their customers. Tax payers will be hit twice.
Bravo to the Ordinance Committee leadership for taking this first step forward towards quieter enjoyment of our outdoor time in New Canaan. As for land care economics, the transition to electric is already occurring throughout Westchester and Fairfield counties. I don’t think New Canaan wants to be the last bastion of GLB’s. And I do love the double entendre of the silent majority speaking up for gas powered leaf blowers.
I think the committee needs to differentiate between landscapers using 3-6 blowers and a home owner using one blower. Also, if the issue is noise and pollution, singling out blowers is strange. I hope the town includes those commercial mowers as well.
Please ban electric and gas blowers from Memorial to Labor Day and all day on the weekends. How many times have we all sat outside in the peace and quiet only to be interrupted 8am on a Saturday by a blower? As for enforcement, politely ask your to neighbor to have his lawn professional comply. Can’t hurt.
Banning mowing or blowing on the weekends would rule out DIY h0meowners who work M-F. While I support reduced usage, an outright weekend ban is unacceptable.
Electric lawn care equipment has been a great addition for homeowners. They’re cleaner, quieter, require less maintenance and can do the job for homeowners with smaller properties. New Canaan would do well to require their use in the smaller property zones where the equipment is well suited to do the job, and where population and proximity, and noise complaints are denser. That seems like a fair compromise. However, attempting to regulate even electric equipment to specific hours is onerous and unreasonable. People want to be free to get their chores done before/after the heat of the sun and before/after work. It seems like those attempting to blithely regulate commercial lawn care businesses like it has no impact may never have operated a small service business on tight margins. Most especially, not one where 10 mid-size or several huge lawns need to be cut in a day to make a living with multiple crews, and where wet weather is a constant challenge. Making these business owners duplicate all their gas-powered equipment, purchase dozens of and frequently change and charge batteries, operate more slowly and store all this equipment in the off-season is much more work than may be obvious to these would-be regulators. It’s oppressive and inefficient, and likely at least as polluting when battery disposal at scale is factored in. Technology is advancing in batteries and robotics. You’ll soon see robot lawn mowers on properties everywhere. That will likely be the ultimate solution to this problem, and perhaps not one that will make your lawn guy happy. Maybe a little patience and reasonableness is in order.
Longing for those peaceful summer afternoons lounging on the patio with nary a peep from the dreaded leaf blower undistracted from my electric bill and the unsightly power lines that crisscross our town skyline humming as residents charge yet more battery operated machines…
Look, here’s the deal with this gas-powered equipment issue. The town’s been using these blowers and mowers for ages, and no one’s shown any real proof it’s messing up our quality of life. Maybe we could just be considerate and not use them super early or super late? Or maybe the police could focus on more important stuff instead of having three cruisers downtown at dawn? It seems odd they can’t handle noise complaints but can do that. Now we’re supposed to shell out $500 for a less effective replacement? That doesn’t add up. And don’t forget, landscapers will pass those costs on to us. What’s next on the town council’s agenda? Makes you wonder if anyone there’s got a Stiehl or a battery or equipment companies.
Increasing costs for landscapers will increase the cost for clients. There is no way the landscapers, many of them smaller family operations, are going to eat the cost of electric blowers or the additional labor costs associated with sweeping all the walkways. Much like tariffs most of these costs will be paid by those who use them. Initially this was a plan to ban gas blowers due to environmental concerns, now electric too? If noise is truelly the concern why not look at lawn mowers or general construction? Why not limit all decibel exceeding noises to 9 to 4 and after 12 on weekends. Noise pollution is noise pollution, isn’t it?
The new electric blower are as powerful as the gas. I know I bought one a year ago.
I still have my gas one but only use it in the fall. Also you hold it in your hand not strapped to you back and weights 1/8
of the gas. Runs for about a 1/2 hr at full
power. I bought an extra battery.
Dave is right robot’s will cut your lawn.
They have them now but not that dependable yet.
landscapers aren’t using leaf blowers just to annoy people they are doing their job. I would like to take peoples computers away for a month pretty much an equivalent
What’s next banning motorcycle noise, sports cars, chirping birds, your neighbors kids yelling with joy in their pool, planes landing at westchester airport. Heard it is very quite in the Himalaya mountain range.
Battery operated equipment due quickly. How are the landscapers going to do their jobs?
How about the time limits—most of the real world thinks that starting at 8 weekdays and 9 on weekends works for blowers……
I’m with Eric Thunem on not restricting electric blowers. (BTW, if you haven’t tried one of the newer models, they are powerful. Our landscapers borrow ours all the time.) It’s noisy if you’re the person running it but from a short distance, it sounds like a vacuum cleaner in a distant room.
Decibel restrictions already exist in our town ordinance: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/DEEP/air/noise/ordinances/NewCanaanNoiseOrdinancepdf.pdf. There’s not a gas leaf blower around that doesn’t violate them, and how are the decibels to be measured? And by whom?
Also and perhaps more to the point, the existing decibel and time restrictions are largely ignored.
The technology is not there for cordless commercial blowers yet. Wait till everyone’s bill goes up to offset the cost of new equipment and the extra time it will take them using underpowered equipment. We’re getting ahead of ourselves again like electric cars where the infrastructure wasn’t there. Now look, major manufacturers are ending electric sales🤦🏻♂️
Here’s a thought : maybe only allow leaf blowers when there actual leaves to blow? How did we become obsessed with blasting grass clippings all over the place? Seems we as a society got along without them entirely for several generations, and still enjoyed summer (and pretty lawns) plenty well.
absolutely agree
To set the record straight — restricting gas leaf blowers in summer will NOT raise costs for homeowners. Electric blowers are much cheaper to operate and are actually more profitable for landscapers to use. They more than pay for themselves through savings on gas, oil and maintenance. I have researched this in communities that have restricted gas blowers, locally and in Massachusetts, and there is no evidence anywhere of higher costs because of gas blower restrictions. Also the restrictions are for summer only — nob0dy needs a gas blower to clear grass clippings, and they will still be allowed for fall leaf cleanup.
The facts: gas leaf blowers are horribly polluting and spew carcinogenic fumes in our neighborhoods. They are much noisier than electric blowers, other lawn equipment, or construction machinery, and their noise is harmful to physical and mental health. These are all medically proven (Scientific American article attached). Most other municipalities in Fairfield and Westchester have already restricted gas blowers. New Canaan is way behind on this and it’s time for us to catch up.
Please God let this ordinance pass. To be able to open a window, walk down the street, sit out for coffee, without the tremendous noise and the stink of gas leaf blowers idling and blowing all day long, everywhere.
Electric is quiet, totally possible, and happening in the towns all around us. Want to experience peace and quiet? Take a drive over to Marist University, where electric roombas mow the grass while chubby groundhogs munch away beside them, unfazed by the low hum.
Leafblowers create most of the noise in town now – Two or three blowers going throughout a landscaper’s visit even while on a small property – is just a huge amount of noise. All day, from first thing in the morning. And even when not in use they stay
Gas leafblowers make the area smell awful. Literally 30% of what is in the gas tank, is spewed into the air and onto the grass, because two-stroke engines do not completely combust their fuel — and there are no emissions controls on these things.
Let’s not let the tail wag the dog: Whatever inconvenience is perceived on behalf of developer and landscaping companies, the residents of the town need some peace. The 10am start time is really a thoughtful accommodation.
I think ideally this is a great idea. I feel like there’s not one summer or warm day when I can open my windows and not hear the noise. However, there would need to be a suitable and cost-effective alternative for landscapers as well. This is their business and I don’t want the net result to be that people lose their jobs or small business owners are unable to stay in business.
Electric leaf blowers are already comparable to gas — see the Consumer Reports analysis in June 2025 issue, which concluded that electric leaf blowers are now equal or better. They are also more profitable for landscapers to use — their operating cost is much lower so they quickly pay for themselves. Many communities in our area and in Massachusetts have already restricted gas leaf blowers, and there have been no reports of job losses from the restrictions. Also landscaping workers are the worst impacted by the fumes and noise of gas leaf blowers, usually with no protective equipment and little ability to ask their bosses to provide it.
I think there are two factors you may not be considering in the cost to landscapers. 1) The initial investment required to purchase electric blowers of comparable power and functionality. Yes, you can purchase an electric blower for under $200, but these do not remotely match the power of commercial gas blowers. Again, many of these smaller landscaping companies cannot eat the potentially 10’s of thousands to replace their equipment. 2) Electric blowers often last only 30 or 40 minutes before needing to be recharged. These batteries are often as expensive as the equipment itself and need to be recharged. With just 6-7 jobs a day that’s probably 5-6 batteries they will need for each machine. That’s just an initial investment some of these landscapers cannot afford to make.
Why are we pandering to for profit companies and allowing them to dictate to us how we can enjoy our homes and yards? I ran a successful small business for many years and had to pivot and adjust my business model to market conditions – no one cared and we just had to deal with changes that came our way. Why is this any different ?
For anyone opposed to the move to electric then I have to question – whats your proposal for an alternative? Many residents are rightfully concerned about noise pollution and the effect it has on our lifestyles. I’ve spoken to quite a few people, and they’ve been grateful that we’re taking up this issue. We’re not alone in this effort; every surrounding town had imposed restrictions on GLB’s we are however the last.
Thanks Michael for providing this forum. I’ll leave you with a short Haiku
Gas Engines Roar Loud
Birdsong flees, leaves scatter wide
Silence blooms again.
Stay safe everyone.
Gas-powered leaf blowers in the summer should be banned because they are solving a problem that does not exist—with the fury of a small jet engine.
First: there are no leaves. It’s July. The trees are fully dressed and minding their own business. What’s being blown around is dust, pollen, gravel, and whatever mysterious crumbs civilization has dropped since 1998. The leaf blower isn’t cleaning—it’s just aggressively redistributing dirt, like a toddler “organizing” their toys by throwing them across the room.
Second: the noise. A gas leaf blower sounds like a swarm of angry chainsaws trapped in a trash can. It starts at 7 a.m. sharp, ensuring that night-shift workers, babies, pets, and anyone who values joy are immediately reminded that peace is temporary and fragile. If the goal is to wake the entire neighborhood at once, we already have sirens for that—and they’re at least attached to emergencies.
Third: the fumes. One gas leaf blower can emit more pollution in an hour than a car driving hundreds of miles. So while we’re all being told to carpool, recycle, and emotionally process paper straws, someone is hotboxing the sidewalk so a driveway can look slightly more beige.
Finally, summer leaf blowing violates the basic social contract. When it’s 90 degrees out, no one wants to hear an engine scream while watching a man in ear protection blast hot dust into the air like it’s a competitive sport. At that point, it’s not landscaping—it’s performance art, and the performance is called “Why Are We Like This.”
In conclusion: ban gas leaf blowers in the summer. Use a broom, or be patient and let the wind and gravity do the job.
I would l love to be able to open windows in the spring and summer without the constant leaf blower noise. Ideally, though, we would be able to find a way to do it without putting our small business owners out of business because we can’t find alternative ways to clear the leaves. I wouldn’t want the net result to be unemployment.
Progress is driven by innovation, not restriction. Relying on convenient wisdom only slows advancement. Garden tools will become more efficient over time; additional ordinances merely delay that progress.
We all are annoyed when we hear a power blower rev up. But they are
efficient for blowing leaves off terraces, driveways and hard to reach places.
My thought is a time band. Certain times of the week, or certain hours are more annoying than others. I’m afraid if it’s a total ban many people are
going to loose their jobs. So..more time raking a lawn, but less time blowing.
It shouldn’t be an all or nothing ban. How about Mondays Wednesdays. and Fridays blow . The rest… peace and quiet.
We support a ban on gas leaf blowers. Last summer the noise was near constant, often until 6-7 PM in the evening. Spending time in our backyard or eating dinner on our patio became impossible on some days. Please preserve what many us moved to the suburbs for — an outdoor space that was peaceful and used to spend with family!
The next meeting of the Town Council By-laws and Ordinances Committee has been published on the town’s website and will take place at town hall and by zoom on Monday, March 2 at 6:00 PM. The topic of Gas Powered Leaf Blowers will be discussed.