Lafayette Set to Discuss Gas Powered Leaf Blower Ban

At its September 26 meeting, the City of Lafayette will consider an ordinance prohibiting the use of gasoline powered leaf blowers.

If approved, the leaf blower ban would prohibit the use of gasoline powered leaf blowers by city staff, residents, and commercial landscape business by July 1, 2024.

Per the staff report, the city seeks to reduce community exposure to high levels of noise, hazardous exhaust and evaporative emissions. The City additionally seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ensure compliance with AB 1346 which prohibits the sale of gasoline powered small off-road engines (SORES) beginning January 1, 2024.

The staff report also admits the local leaf blower ban ordinance will require homeowners and commercial landscapers to switch to zero-emissions equipment sooner, likely before their existing gas powered tools have reached their end of useful life, which will have a financial impact on homeowners and commercial landscapers. A cursory review found that the price of commercial electric and battery powered leaf blowers, and supplemental batteries, can run 2-to-3 times the price of a comparable gas powered version.

To date, Code Enforcement has received a modest number of complaints regarding leaf blowers; staff anticipates the number and frequency of complaints will sharply rise with the implementation of this ordinance.

UPDATE

The City Council adopted Ordinance 688 at a regular City Council meeting on October 10th, 2023, prohibiting the use of gasoline powered leaf blowers in the City of Lafayette beginning July 1, 2024.

Per the Staff Report:

Impacts of Gasoline Powered Leaf Blowers

There is an extensive body of evidence that internal combustion engines damage the environment and pose health risks to individuals. Gas powered leaf blowers and similar equipment emit significant amounts of carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, and fine particulate matter, which contribute to smog and air pollution. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has reported that operating a gasoline powered two-stroke leaf blower for one hour emits the same amount of pollution as driving a 2016 Toyota Camry for 1,110 miles.

Gas powered leaf blowers also generate significant levels of noise, impacting both operators and bystanders. A landscape professional operating a gas powered leaf blower may be exposed to noise levels exceeding OSHA standards (1 hour exposure without protective gear at 105 decibels, for a louder machine the exposure limit is lower). Electric and battery powered leaf blowers are quieter than their gas powered counterparts and do not emit harmful evaporative emissions. California has banned the sale of all new gasoline powered landscape equipment and other small off-road engines (SOREs) beginning in 2024. This new law, AB 1346, is expected to reduce smog- forming emissions by 72 tons per day and prevent 900 premature deaths over the next 20 years by prohibiting the sale of gas powered SOREs.

Other Jurisdictions with Similar Laws

Hundreds of cities and counties nationwide have enacted laws restricting the use of gas powered leaf blowers and other landscape equipment. Over 40 cities in the state of California have enacted such laws. Some of the earliest examples include Carmel (1975) as well as the Bay Area municipalities of Belvedere (1987), Piedmont (1990), Los Altos and Berkeley (both 1991). Other Bay Area cities with restrictions on gas leaf blowers include Mill Valley, Tiburon, Los Gatos, Sebastopol, Sonoma, Portola Valley, Alameda, Palo Alto, Novato, and Menlo Park.

City Council Meeting

PLEASE NOTE THE 5:30 P.M. START TIME & TUESDAY MEETING DATE.

• Date: 09/26/2023 5:30 PM
• Location: Lafayette Library & Learning Center-Don Tatzin Community Hall
  3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd.
  Lafayette, California 94549
• Agenda & Staff Reports

Editors Note

• July 2023 – CARB and Truck Makers Announce Agreement On Zero Emissions Vehicles
• Jan 2023 – California ZEV Sales Near 19% of All New Car Sales in 2022