Lower Merion\u2019s board of commissioners last fall voted to ban gas-powered leaf blowers, first on a seasonal basis and, beginning in 2029, permanently. The ban first went into effect this week and will run through Oct. 1 for the summer season. <\/p>\n
Enforcement is complaint-based, and residents are encouraged to report violations via email, phone, or Lower Merion\u2019s LM Report-It App (the township\u2019s preferred method). Violators will first get a warning, then a $100 fine for a first offense, a $250 fine for a second offense, and a $600 fine for a third or subsequent offense.<\/p>\n
Lower Merion\u2019s ban follows similar legislation in communities such as Montclair, N.J.<\/a> and Evanston, Ill.<\/a> It saw wide support from residents, who cited noise issues and environmental and health concerns. Narberth passed a similar measure<\/a> this spring, and Radnor is now considering one<\/a>.<\/p>\n Local landscapers, however, warned that electric substitutes are not yet advanced enough to replace gas-powered machines, and that the ban will put financial stress on their businesses. <\/p>\n Lower Merion\u2019s leaf blower debate took center stage again on May 20 when the township\u2019s board of commissioners moved ahead an amendment specifying exemptions for wheeled walk-behind, stand-on, riding, and tow-behind leaf blowers and chemical sprayers. Officials said the amendment clarifies the original intent of the ordinance, which was designed to ban backpack-style gas-powered blowers, and not larger wheeled equipment. <\/p>\n Paloma Vila, Lower Merion\u2019s sustainability manager, said the leaf blower ordinance passed last fall was never intended to ban wheeled machines or chemical sprayers. <\/p>\n \u201cThat was clear to staff. I believe that was clear to a lot of the board. I thought it was clear to the public. We found out after it was rolled out that there was different interpretations,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n Lower Merion has already been instructing large institutions within the township to switch to tow-behind and other larger machines, in addition to electric equipment, Vila said. <\/p>\n In an email, she said wheeled machines are \u201coperationally and functionally distinct\u201d from the handheld and backpack blowers targeted by last fall\u2019s ban. <\/p>\n The board voted to advertise the amendment, and will vote on its passage at a future meeting. <\/p>\n Commissioners said the amendment would clarify the ban\u2019s language and make it more legally defensible. <\/p>\n \u201cWhat we are passing tonight is what this board passed last fall,\u201d Commissioner Ray Courtney said, addressing attendees. <\/p>\n Courtney later remarked that \u201cpart of the reason we\u2019re in the somewhat confusing situation we\u2019re in tonight is because we attempted to legislate on the fly, or at least not give ourselves the proper amount of time to deliberate amendments that came before us back in November.\u201d <\/p>\n The proposed amendment faced considerable pushback from residents, many of whom described it as defanging a previously strong piece of environmental legislation. <\/p>\n \u201cThis proposed exemption is a major policy change, not a clarification,\u201d said Bryn Mawr<\/a> resident and physician David Pole. \u201c… The public health and sustainability goals of the ordinance will be effectively erased.\u201d<\/p>\n Bala Cynwyd<\/a> resident Marion Williams warned the amendment \u201csharply reduces the efficacy of the passed ordinance.\u201d <\/p>\n Board President Todd Sinai said whether or not the ban should have encompassed larger machines like tow-behind blowers and chemical sprayers is \u201ckind of moot.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cThe board did decide to allow them,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve given guidance, as [Vila] said, to companies that they can use these things,\u201d Sinai said. \u201cPeak season for using them is this summer. It would be irresponsible for the township to go and amend this current ordinance, which would take effect this June, to prohibit this equipment that we\u2019ve been telling companies that they can use, and it would take effect immediately.\u201d <\/p>\n Inquirer Lower Merion<\/p>\n A weekly newsletter<\/p>\n Want to get Inquirer Lower Merion straight to your inbox every week? Sign up here for our guide to the news, stories, and events shaping life in your community.<\/p>\n This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer\u2019s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com\/donate<\/a>. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org\/supporters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min Lower Merion\u2019s gas-powered leaf blower ban went into effect on June 1, but…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":134,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[183,185,184,186,91297],"class_list":["post-207746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-lower-merion","tag-lower-merion","tag-lower-merion-headlines","tag-lower-merion-news","tag-lower-merion-township","tag-lower-merion-gas-powered-leaf-blower-ban-proposed-amendment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=207746"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207746\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=207746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=207746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=207746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Inquirer](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779958228_500_I_circle_black.png\")
<\/p>\n