Gas Leaf Blower Bans Are Coming Into Force Across the US – See if Your Area Is on the List and Discover the Best Electric Alternatives
Don't get caught out by new leaf blower bans. Learn where they are going into effect and how you can mitigate the impact.
Gas leaf blowers and other gas-powered lawn care equipment are seemingly everywhere these days. They are incredibly powerful and even a small tank of gasoline can get a lot of work done throughout the year. However, gas-powered leaf blowers and landscaping tools create a lot of pollution and noise. For those reasons, many state and local municipalities are beginning to place limits on these machines.
More than 200 localities across 27 states in the U.S. have some type of regulation that restricts gasoline lawn equipment in some way. This could be an outright ban on the usage of these gardening tools, restrictions on usage during certain times of the year, phasing out the sale of the machines, or offering incentives to replace gas-powered tools with electric ones.
Let’s dive into which regulations for gas leaf blowers and lawn care equipment might affect you and your lawn care needs.
Why Are Gas Lawn Tools Being Restricted?
Gasoline-powered lawn tools like leaf blowers, chainsaws, and weed whackers have two-stroke engines which offer a lot of power in a lightweight form. Unfortunately, these little engines burn both gasoline and oil and they have no emission control systems. The exhaust they put out contains large amounts of nitrogen oxide, benzene, formaldehyde, and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These byproducts are very harmful to human health and negatively impact the environment.
The California Air Resources Board estimates that 1 hour of gasoline-powered leaf blower use produces emissions equivalent to driving a car 1,100 miles (1770 km).
In addition to unhealthy exhaust, gas leaf blowers are very loud. Backpack leaf blowers can reach 80-100 dB. According to the National Council on Aging, noises above 85 dB can damage your hearing. Operators must wear ear protection for their own safety, but these tools also contribute to noise pollution in our neighborhoods. (There is someone in my neighborhood using a loud leaf blower as I write this. They could be a half mile away, but their leaf blower noise has made it into my office for the last 2 hours.) For this reason, some municipalities have restrictions on decibel level for lawn equipment, including electric tools.
Greenworks is a favorite brand of our editors here at Gardening Know How and they have a full range of electric lawn equipment that will keep you, your neighbors, and the environment happier and healthier. In particular, the Greenworks backpack leaf blower, which is available from Amazon, is strong but also quiet at just 64 dB. And it won’t add pollutants to the air which will help your family and community breathe easy.
Where are Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers Banned?
Beginning in 2024, California state law prohibits the sale of gas-powered lawn equipment and many municipalities along the California coast have usage bans on gas-powered leaf blowers. All lawn tools sold must be zero-emission. Interestingly, the first leaf blower ban went into effect in 1975 in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA just a few years after gas leaf blowers were introduced to the U.S. market.
In 2018, Washington, D.C. passed the Leaf Blower Regulation Amendment Act that prohibits the sale and use of gasoline-powered leaf blowers within the District of Columbia. Many other major cities are moving towards bans on gasoline leaf blowers over the next few years.
Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) has a helpful interactive map that will show you if there are any regulations or restrictions you need to be aware of in your locality.
Areas With Usage Restrictions on Leaf Blowers
Some locations in California like San Clemente Portola Valley, and Palos Verdes Estates have restrictions on the decibel levels of electric leaf blowers in addition to the ban of gas-powered versions.
In communities surrounding Chicago, IL, cities in New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, gas-powered leaf blowers are only permitted during spring and fall. Colorado also follows this model for usage of gasoline tools on public and government property. During summer months, heat, humidity, and sunlight accelerate chemical reactions that lead to more smog and pollution hangs around longer in the stagnant air.
Areas Phasing Out Gas Leaf Blowers
In Maryland, Montgomery County has prohibited the use of gas-powered leaf blowers from July 1, 2025 onward and is also restricting sale and use of any leaf blower exceeding 70 decibels. In Baltimore, the use of gas leaf blowers will be prohibited at the end of 2026.
In Massachusetts, the cities of Lexington, Concord, Acton, Cambridge, Arlington, Dedham, and Belmont are all phasing out the use of gas-powered leaf blowers as early as 2026 and going to 2030.
Luckily, in many of these locations, there are grants and funding available for homeowners and landscaping companies to help defray the cost of replacing gasoline-powered tools with new electric ones.
Make the Switch to Electric
Ready to make the switch? These lawncare brands can help you get started.
This lightweight, handheld electric leaf blower from Ryobi is a great option for light duty jobs and its 18V battery is compatible with all other 18V Ryobi tools.
The Greenworks backpack leaf blower will make quick work of tougher jobs and larger properties. The Greenworks brand is a favorite of many of the Gardening Know How editors because of ease of use and efficiency.
This lawn mower, leaf blower, and string trimmer bundle from Greenworks is affordable and the batteries work with each of the tools. This is the perfect set to replace gas tools for a small to medium yard.
