A ban on sales of gas-powered leaf blowers within Montgomery County will take effect July 1, setting the stage for a complete prohibition on the equipment’s use to be implemented next year.
The law, approved by the County Council in 2022, is considered a noise ordinance and an environmental protection measure. The ban includes all handheld, backpack and walk-behind gas-powered leaf removal equipment.
Following the sales prohibition, a ban on use of the equipment will become effective July 1, 2025.
In June 2022, then-Council President Gabe Albornoz (D-At-large) introduced a bill on behalf of County Executive Marc Elrich’s administration to ban the sale and use of gas-powered leaf blowers or leaf vacuums countywide. The proposed legislation also directed the head of the county Department of Environmental Protection to create a program that would partially reimburse owners of the gas-powered equipment if they switch to electric leaf blowers and vacuums.
According to the law, businesses and residents with a Montgomery County street address are eligible for the rebate program to purchase an approved leaf blower without having to trade in a leaf blower. Under the rebate program, landscapers with revenue less than $250,000 annually or five or fewer employees can receive up to $1,500 in a year. Landscapers with revenue of more than $250,000 or six or more employees can receive up to $1,000 in a year. Residents can receive up to $100 for one rebate. More information is available on the county government’s website.
When the ban on use goes into effect, violators will be fined $500 for a first offense, and $750 each for repeat offenses. Councilmembers have said the first several months of enforcement will focus mostly on education, and that fines would not be issued right away.
The ban primarily will be enforced by Department of Environmental Protection officials, who could act upon receiving complaints from residents who provide photographic evidence or after hearing from at least two witnesses who see a potential violation.
Some local municipalities have already banned gas-powered leaf blowers in some form. Somerset, Chevy Chase Village and the town of Chevy Chase all issued bans in 2022. Washington, D.C., also banned gas-powered leaf blowers beginning Jan. 1, 2023.
