Gas-powered leaf blowers will officially be banned in Lower Merion starting in 2029.
The Montgomery County township on Wednesday became the first in Pennsylvania to ban gas powered leaf blowers, commissioners said, taking a phased approach that will begin with a seasonal prohibition and transition to an all-out ban over the next four years.
“Together, we will bring us a step closer to providing our residents the right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic, and aesthetic values of the environment as guaranteed by the Pennsylvania Constitution,” Commissioner Gilda Kramer said, addressing a packed house of attendees at the board meeting.
The commissioners passed the ordinance 10-4.
Starting on June 1, 2026, gas powered leaf blowers will be banned seasonally during the summer (June 1-October 1) and winter (January 1-April 1). The use of portable generators to power electric leaf blowers or charge their batteries will also be banned.
Starting on Jan. 1, 2028, the use of gas powered leaf blowers will only be permitted during the fall. They will be banned from January 1 to October 1.
On Jan. 1, 2029, a full-fledged ban will take effect.
Residents will still be able to use gas powered leaf blowers during snowfall and within 24 hours after snow has ceased to fall.
Similar bans have taken effect in Montclair, N.J.; Montgomery County, Md.; Burlington, Vt.; and Evanston, Ill. The City of Philadelphia and Swarthmore tried for similar bans but those ordinances did not pass.
Dozens of residents testified in favor of the ban, citing the noise pollution, environmental impacts, and health consequences associated with gas powered leaf blower use. One third-grader presented a petition with 141 signatures collected at Penn Valley Elementary School.
While the majority of commissioners characterized the ordinance as a step in the right direction — one that prioritizes safety and environmental health — others dissented, warning that the electric leaf blower technology is not currently strong enough to supplant gas powered blowers and that the costs of the transition are still unknown.
“The ordinance that we’re considering tonight is based on an aspiration that the technology is going to be there,” Commissioner Joshua Grimes said. “Right now, staff has told us it is not there. Staff has not told us when it will be there, and no one knows when it’s gonna be there.”
An amendment to implement a seasonal ban only, not a full ban, failed. The amendment was brought by Commissioner Daniel Bernheim.
Board President Todd Sinai said that while electric leaf blower technology is not yet fully advanced, the ordinance should be seen as Lower Merion setting ambitious, and important, goals for the future.
“Some town has to go first. Some town has to be the one that is the starting point for all the other municipalities to coalesce around,” Sinai said. “… If we have to backfill things because we’ve discovered things that are friction points, we will fix them, but at least let’s set an objective and try to accomplish it.”
Commissioners Bernheim, Grimes, Louis Rossman, and Scott Zelov voted against the ordinance.
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