Frequently Asked Questions

Gas-powered leaf blowers (GPLBs) produce noise levels exceeding 100 decibels — louder than a chainsaw — and emit a toxic mix of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and fine particulate matter. A single commercial gas blower running for one hour can emit as much smog-forming pollution as driving a car 1,100 miles.

The harm isn't limited to the environment. Prolonged exposure damages hearing, and the ultrafine particles they kick up are linked to respiratory illness, cardiovascular problems, and increased health risks for children, the elderly, and pets.

The landscaping workers who operate these machines all day — often without adequate hearing protection — bear the greatest burden. But the impact extends to every resident: noise that makes it impossible to enjoy a yard, open a window, or hold a conversation outdoors, and air pollution that lingers long after the blower stops.

Children, the elderly, people with respiratory conditions, and pets are especially vulnerable to the particulate matter GPLBs stir up and emit.

A ban on gas equipment is also a win for the workers themselves. Electric blowers are lighter, produce no exhaust at the operator's face, and run at a fraction of the noise level. Companies that switch to electric are offering their crews healthier, safer working conditions — and as awareness grows, that becomes a competitive advantage for attracting and retaining skilled workers.

Spring and fall are peak seasons, but commercial landscaping crews use GPLBs year-round in Croton — for leaf cleanup, grass clippings, driveway clearing, and general property maintenance. There is no true off-season.

Leaf blowers are unique in the combination of harm they cause. Unlike a passing truck or a neighbor's lawnmower, commercial gas blowers operate at 100+ decibels for extended periods — sometimes hours at a stretch — and emit a toxic exhaust plume while doing it. No other common residential noise source combines that level of sustained volume with direct air pollution.

They're also one of the easiest noise sources to eliminate. Proven, affordable alternatives exist today. You can't ask someone to switch to an electric delivery truck, but you can absolutely switch to an electric leaf blower.

The numbers are striking. According to the California Air Resources Board, a commercial gas leaf blower running for one hour emits as much smog-forming pollution as driving a Toyota Camry approximately 1,100 miles. That's because most gas blowers use two-stroke engines, which burn a mix of oil and gasoline and release up to a third of their fuel as unburned aerosol — a cocktail of benzene, formaldehyde, and fine particulate matter.

Multiply that by the number of landscaping crews operating across Croton every day, and the cumulative air quality impact on a small village is significant.

No. Modern battery-powered commercial blowers from manufacturers like EGO, Greenworks, and Makita match or exceed the air volume of gas models. Battery technology has improved dramatically — today's commercial units run for hours on swappable packs and deliver the power professional landscapers need.

The 6 Westchester towns that have already banned GPLBs haven't experienced service disruptions. Landscapers adapted, and many prefer the quieter, lighter electric equipment.

The upfront cost of electric equipment is comparable to gas, and the total cost of ownership is lower. Electric blowers require no fuel, far less maintenance, and no engine rebuilds. Many towns that passed bans included transition periods of one to two years to give landscapers time to phase in new equipment.

Try our cost calculator to see the real numbers side by side.

Electric blowers handle leaves effectively. For heavy fall cleanup, many municipalities also encourage mulching mowers, raking, and composting — methods that are better for soil health and don't generate noise or pollution at all. A ban doesn't mean leaves pile up. It means we clean them up without poisoning the air.

Wondering why a year-round ban matters when Croton already restricts blowers by season? See "Croton already bans gas blowers in summer and winter" below.

No. Landscaping companies in every town that has passed a ban are still operating. The ban shifts what equipment they use, not whether they have work. Lawns still need mowing, leaves still need clearing, and properties still need maintenance.

Many landscapers report that the switch actually helps their business: quieter equipment means they can start earlier without complaints, and customers increasingly prefer electric service. The transition period most bans include (one to two years) gives companies time to phase in equipment as existing gas machines age out.

The concern is real and worth taking seriously. Many lawn-care businesses here are immigrant-owned and rely on immigrant workers who are already navigating economic and personal uncertainty.

But the people most harmed by gas blowers are the workers operating them — exposed to 100+ decibel noise and two-stroke exhaust at face level all day, with documented hearing loss and respiratory risk. A ban regulates the equipment, not the worker. Protecting workers' health and supporting their businesses aren't in tension.

And the transition is designed to cushion small operators, not push them out: a dated phase-in rather than an overnight switch, warning-first enforcement, and rebate programs (New York's pending S5853A / A2657A and California's proven CORE model) that lower the cost of new equipment. Combined with the lower fuel and maintenance costs of electric, the equipment pays for itself. No town that has passed a ban has seen its immigrant or small landscapers collapse. They adapted, and many grew.

Some municipalities that have passed bans have offered trade-in programs or rebates to help landscapers and homeowners transition. At the state level, NY Senate Bill S5853A would establish an Electric Landscaping Equipment Rebate Program providing point-of-sale rebates for commercial landscapers purchasing electric equipment — modeled on successful programs in California.

Even without incentives, the total cost of ownership for electric equipment is lower than gas when you factor in fuel, maintenance, and repairs. Run the numbers yourself with our cost calculator.

Partial bans sound reasonable but are self-defeating in practice:

Enforcement becomes a nightmare. Code officers have to determine the time, season, and equipment type for every single complaint. Is it a gas blower or electric? Is it within the permitted window? Partial rules invite disputes and loopholes that waste village staff time and money.

The problem just moves around. Restricting GPLBs to certain hours doesn't eliminate the noise and pollution — it concentrates them. Your neighbor's landscaper just runs the blower during the "allowed" hours instead.

It confuses everyone. Landscapers working across multiple towns can't keep track of which town allows gas on which days. Compliance drops. Complaints rise. The village spends resources enforcing a half-measure.

The health and noise harm doesn't change based on what month or hour it is. A full ban is simpler, fairer, and actually works.

It helps to be precise about what the current law actually does. Croton already prohibits gas-powered leaf blowers all summer (June 1 through August 31) and all winter (January 1 through March 31). What's left legal is spring and fall, and yes, those are the heaviest-use months. That's exactly the problem, not a compromise worth protecting.

The current rule is backwards. It bans gas blowers during the stretches they run least and permits them during the months crews run them hardest and longest. From a health and noise standpoint, the village is shielded when the machines are quiet anyway and exposed when they're going all day. A year-round rule doesn't pile a new restriction on top of the season you care about. It closes the loophole that lets the worst exposure happen during the busiest season.

The harm doesn't pause for the calendar. A two-stroke engine emits the same benzene, formaldehyde, and fine particulate in October as it does in July. Fall is peak exposure: kids walking to school, mild days with the windows still open, and leaf piles full of mold spores, pollen, pesticide residue, and animal waste that a gas blower aerosolizes into the air people breathe. The pollution and the 100+ decibel noise are not seasonal.

And you don't lose power by going electric. The 600+ CFM commercial battery backpack, the workhorse of fall leaf cleanup, matches or beats the gas blowers it replaces. The 6 Westchester towns already operating under full year-round bans do their fall cleanup on electric equipment, in the same climate and the same leaf load as Croton. What you give up isn't the power. It's the exhaust and the noise. (Heavy, wet, matted leaves are a job for mulching mowers and raking regardless of what blows them, and raw gas horsepower doesn't change that.) For more on electric's capability in a heavy Northeast fall, see "What about leaf cleanup in the fall?" above. See the gas-vs-electric comparison →

6 Westchester municipalities have enacted full year-round bans on gas-powered leaf blowers:

Sleepy Hollow has a partial seasonal ban and has been weighing expansion to a full ban. These towns all acted independently, without waiting for county-level action. Enforcement has been straightforward and compliance high.

See our full tracker of nearby municipal bans →

Yes — and a full ban is far easier to enforce than a partial one. Gas-powered blowers are identifiable by sound alone. There's no ambiguity about time windows or seasonal calendars. If a code officer hears a gas blower, it's a violation. Period.

The towns that have already passed bans confirm this. Enforcement works because the rule is simple and unambiguous.

A typical gas leaf blower ban covers all gas-powered leaf blowers — backpack, handheld, and wheeled — used on residential and commercial properties within village limits. It applies to homeowners, landscaping companies, and property managers alike.

It does not ban leaf blowers entirely. Electric and battery-powered blowers remain fully legal. It also does not cover other gas-powered equipment like mowers or trimmers, though many towns are expanding to those as well.

A fair question — and the answer is that a full ban applies to everyone on the same day: homeowners, small crews, large companies, institutions, and the Village alike. A universal rule is exactly what makes it fair; carve-outs are what create unfairness.

The Village leads rather than exempts itself. Under the proposed law, Croton would stop buying new gas blowers, and every contractor doing landscaping or grounds work for the Village must comply. The government holds itself to the same standard it asks of residents.

The biggest fleets are included, not excused. Large institutional users (school districts, big HOAs, institutional grounds) are often the single biggest gas users in town, and their scale gives them the buying power to transition efficiently. Including them isn't a burden on small business; it's the opposite.

The instinct that "the big players should go first" is really an argument for the universal rule a year-round ban already is.

A gas leaf blower ban covers leaf blowers only. It does not ban mowers, trimmers, chainsaws, or other gas-powered equipment. Leaf blowers are singled out because they represent a unique combination of extreme noise and disproportionate emissions — a single gas blower emits more smog-forming pollution per hour than almost any other consumer equipment.

That said, many towns that started with blower bans have since expanded to cover other gas landscaping equipment. The trajectory is clear: electric alternatives exist for nearly all outdoor power equipment, and the regulatory trend is moving in one direction. Starting with blowers is the natural first step.

Most towns that have passed bans included a transition period of one to two years between passage and enforcement. This gives landscaping companies time to budget for new equipment and phase it in naturally as gas machines reach end-of-life.

A reasonable transition period is fair to businesses while still setting a firm deadline. The towns that have done this report that most landscapers made the switch well before the deadline.

Two "wait and see" arguments keep coming up:

"Wait for the county." Some board members want to see if Westchester County will pass a county-wide ban. But there is no bill on the table, no vote scheduled, and no clear path forward at the county level. County legislatures move slowly — 6 towns decided not to wait.

"Wait for the state." New York has bills in committee that would restrict gas equipment sales statewide. But those bills have been in committee for years, and even if passed, a state sale ban doesn't ban use of existing equipment — landscapers could keep running gas blowers for years after. Local use bans address current harm today.

Every season we wait is another season of noise, pollution, and preventable health harm. Local action is how this gets done. The towns that led are the ones that got results.

Three bills are moving through the state legislature — one has now passed both chambers, two are still in committee.

Rebate program (S5853A / A2657A) — passed both chambers: Passed the Assembly on April 21, 2026 and the Senate on April 22, 2026. Now on Governor Hochul's desk for signature. Would create a state-funded Electric Landscaping Equipment Rebate Program providing point-of-sale rebates for commercial landscapers and institutional users buying electric equipment. Sponsors: Sen. Liz Krueger and Asm. Steven Otis.

Caveat: A prior version of this same rebate program was vetoed by Governor Hochul in December 2022. The 2025–2026 bill was revised to narrow eligibility and give NYSERDA more discretion; signature this time is not guaranteed.

Sale ban (A2114) — still in committee: Would prohibit the sale of new gas-powered leaf blowers and lawn mowers statewide by January 1, 2027. An earlier version (A705) had a 2025 deadline that passed without action. No floor vote scheduled.

Seasonal use ban (S424) — still in committee: Would prohibit use of gas blowers May through September — a partial measure only.

Even if all three passed tomorrow, a state sale ban doesn't ban use. Existing gas equipment would remain legal indefinitely, and a rebate program alone doesn't restrict anything. A local use ban is the only tool that addresses the noise and pollution Croton residents experience right now.

It's a fair instinct — and you'll hear it even from people who support a ban in principle. But "wait for a better year" sounds compassionate while never actually naming the year. There is always economic uncertainty, and a reason to hold off can be found in any season.

A dated, funded transition is both more honest and more humane than an indefinite delay that leaves workers running the most harmful equipment. Croton's proposal already builds in the cushion that timing concerns ask for: the existing seasonal restrictions stay in force until a dated effective date, enforcement starts with a warning, and rebate programs help cover the cost of switching. Run the cost numbers →

Hire electric. Ask your landscaper to use battery-powered equipment on your property. If they won't, consider switching to a company that will. Browse our directory of electric landscapers in the area.

Talk to your landscaper. Many landscapers aren't aware of the growing demand for electric service. A conversation from a paying customer carries weight.

Email village officials. Let the Village Manager and Board of Trustees know you support a full ban. Use our email templates (sample emails you can choose and customize) to make it easy.

Attend board meetings. Show up to public comment sessions. Elected officials notice when residents care enough to be in the room.

Spread the word. Share this site with your neighbors. The more voices, the harder it is to ignore.

Start with the facts: 6 towns in Westchester already require electric, and the landscapers serving those towns made the switch without losing business. Modern commercial electric blowers match gas performance. The equipment pays for itself through lower fuel and maintenance costs within a couple of years.

Then make it personal: you're the customer, and you're asking for electric service on your property. If they won't accommodate that, other companies will. Demand from homeowners is the single most powerful driver of this transition.

Yes. You don't control who mows the lawn, but you have more influence than you think:

Ask your landlord. Request that they specify electric-only in the property's landscaping contract. Frame it as a quality-of-life issue — noise and fumes affect your ability to enjoy the property you're paying to live in.

Email village officials. You're a Croton resident and your voice counts. Renters make up a meaningful share of the village — elected officials represent you too. Use our email templates (sample emails you can choose and customize) to make it easy.

Talk to your neighbors. If multiple tenants in a building ask the same landlord for the same thing, the request carries more weight.

If you hire landscaping services for rental properties or managed buildings, you control which equipment gets used. Specifying electric-only in your landscaping contracts is one of the most impactful things you can do — it shifts demand at scale and signals to landscapers that the market is moving.

If a ban passes, your contracts will need to comply anyway. Getting ahead of it now avoids disruption later.

HOAs and condo associations often contract landscaping for the entire community, which means one decision can take dozens of gas blowers off the street overnight. Amend your landscaping contract to require electric equipment. You may also pass a community resolution banning gas-powered leaf blowers on the property — you don't have to wait for the village to act.

This is one of the highest-leverage actions any group of residents can take.