Lafayette

Lafayette: Gas-Power Leaf Blower Ban Begins July 1

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Beginning July 1, gas-power leaf blowers will not be permitted for use by residents or landscape professionals in the City of Lafayette.

The move comes after a ban was adopted by the City Council in October 2023 which prohibits the use of gasoline powered leaf blowers in Lafayette. The city  delayed implementation for nine months to allow sufficient time for residents and property managers to make the switch. The City’s all-volunteer Lafayette Environmental Task Force researched and recommended the ban since gas-powered leaf blowers emit hydrocarbons, particulates, toxins, and carcinogens into the air – contributing to air pollution and negative health effects for the user.

The City’s Public Works Maintenance contractor, Terracare, have almost exclusively used electric-powered leaf blowers for the past few years.

Parks Maintenance staff recently made the switch. Jesus Hernandez, Parks Maintenance Supervisor said, “When I first heard that I had to use an electric blower, I felt like it wasn’t going to be powerful enough, but the electric blower I use has two modes, normal and turbo and it does the job without any problem.”

“While the most eco-friendly way to move leaves and debris is manually with a rake or broom, an electric leaf blower can save time,” said Lafayette Environmental Task Force member Nancy Hu, who helped draft the new regulations.  She was able to convince her HOA’s gardener to switch to an electric leaf blower a couple years ago.

The Environmental Task Force also established a lending program to allow Lafayette residents and their landscapers the opportunity to try out both hand-held and backpack style battery-operated leaf blowers. The program has been popular.

“The Environmental Task Force has done a great job on this, through the lending program, and the lawn signs you see around town, we are hoping to educate the whole community as well as local landscapers about the change taking effect on July 1.” said Lafayette Vice Mayor, Wei-Tai Kwok. “Like any code enforcement, we are leading with education, and we hope the community will enjoy noticeably quieter and healthier neighborhoods,” he added.

For more information, visit the City’s website at https://www.lovelafayette.org/leaf-blowers

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5 comments

PattyOfurniture June 29, 2024 - 9:46 am
Too many landscapers coming in, stinking up the joint? First world problems, indeed.
Street Sweeper June 30, 2024 - 7:33 am
Make landscaping great again.
Get a life June 30, 2024 - 8:17 am
Lafayette is home to a bunch of liberal old Karens.
PattyOfurniture June 30, 2024 - 8:30 am
The worst thing about the leaf blowers are the a holes that run them. Especially the 'professionals'. Every POS landscaper I've seen blows all the leaves and dust from the customer's yard into the non-customer's neighbor yard, get dust and crap all over there, on the cars on the driveway crap from their work everywhere, but somewhere else that's not the paying customer; and then they call it good and drive away. Zero craps given about the mess they made somewhere else. It's a great general summation of the attitude of the people running those types of businesses. Brentwood is only 1 step behind. Mark my words I bet Brentwood brings this to the table in the near future.
Mike June 30, 2024 - 11:43 am
With all the issues going on in the world, this is definitely going to make a difference.
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