LOWER MERION — Township officials plan to introduce an ordinance in October to regulate the use of gas-powered leaf blowers.
During a recent sustainability committee meeting, Lower Merion Commissioner Gilda Kramer announced that the proposed ordinance change to regulate gas-powered leaf blowers would be discussed during a meeting in October.
“The second item on the agenda relates to proposed gas-powered leaf blower regulations, and this is an informational item only, and there will be no discussion about it this evening. The discussion on this issue is scheduled for Oct. 8,” Kramer said.
Based on the meeting agenda from the Sept. 10 sustainability meeting, the ordinance would “prohibit the use of gas powered leaf blowers during the period May 1 to Oct. 1 and Jan. 1 to March 1 annually; to prohibit the use of portable generators to directly power electric leaf blowers or to charge the electric batteries thereof; to require that notice of the prohibition of the use of gas powered leaf blowers be posted at establishments in the Township that sell them; and to provide violations and penalties for the enforcement hereof.”
Over the past several months, there has been increasing public discussion on the idea of banning gas-powered leaf blowers.
The township’s 2023 Sustainability Plan recommended Lower Merion “design and implement a program to accelerate electrification and transition to clean energy throughout the Township.”
“Township residents regularly express their objections to the noise and environmental pollution caused by gas powered leaf blowers. Restricting the use of gas-powered leaf blowers aligns with the aforementioned strategy. Township staff, as a Board of Commissioner priority, have evaluated the feasibility of imposing restrictions on the use of gas powered leaf blowers,” according to the issue briefing to the Sept. 10 sustainability meeting.
Originally Published: September 22, 2025 at 4:33 AM EDT