This post is a reminder that the City of Encinitas passed an ordinance regarding the use of gas powered leaf blowers. This communicate this to your gardeners and landscapers.

During a regular City Council meeting on Wednesday, August 21, 2019, the Encinitas City Council voted unanimously in favor of passing a progressive new Leaf Blower Ordinance.

Key elements of the ordinance include:

• Prohibits the use of all gas-powered leaf blowers citywide in January 2020;
• Allows for the use of electric or battery-powered leaf blowers;
• Requires responsible use of blower equipment to control dust and noise;
• Restricts leaf blower hours of operation to between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and between 12:00 noon and 5:00 p.m. on Sundays; and
• Provides for a phased-in operative date schedule (summarized below).

A transition away from fossil-fuel based off-road equipment is one of the strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions identified in the Climate Action Plan. The benefits of prohibiting gas-powered leaf blowers include avoidance of greenhouse gas emissions; decreased noise levels; and reduction in suspended dust, allergens, and other harmful particulates.

The goal of the City’s CAP is to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 41% by 2030.It is estimated that the Leaf Blower Ordinance will reduce local GHG emissions by 128 metric tons of CO2 emissions (MTCO2E) by the end of 2020, and 142 metric tons by 2030.