A leaf blower with a two-cycle engine on a contractor's trailer in Ann Arbor on May 8, 2019.Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News
ANN ARBOR, MI — Ann Arbor officials have decided gasoline-fueled leaf blowers are noisy, polluting machines and present health risks to people using them. 4 Stroke Cycle
A new law to gradually phase out and ban them citywide is now officially approved after weeks of discussion.
City Council voted 10-0 Monday night, Dec. 18, to give final approval to the ordinance sponsored by Council Members Jenn Cornell, Dharma Akmon and Jen Eyer.
During a public hearing before the vote, council members heard mixed feedback, including from one lawn care contractor who expressed concerns the transition to electric leaf blowers by 2028 could cost his business thousands of dollars.
The four-year timeline for phasing in the ban is to ensure it does not cause economic hardship, especially for small businesses, said Cornell, D-5th Ward.
The Ann Arbor City Council meeting on Dec. 18, 2023. (Ryan Stanton | MLive.com)Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News
The new ordinance allows leaf blowers that burn gasoline and create harmful emissions to be used only seasonally from October through May for the next four years before they’re fully prohibited starting Jan. 1, 2028. That means an immediate summertime ban takes effect in 2024.
Could gas lawn mowers be next after Ann Arbor bans gas leaf blowers?
Once the year-round ban takes effect in 2028, there still are a few special exceptions in the ordinance.
Gas leaf blowers still can be used by contractors when doing street, sidewalk and other paving construction work, or during emergencies to protect health, safety and property, as well as to restore property after an emergency, such as to clear a walkway, driveway or street from debris following a storm.
Towed or wheeled turbine blowers powered by four-stroke internal combustion engines also still can be used on recreational fields, golf courses and at public facilities.
John Callewaert, a member of the city’s Environmental Commission, said he wished the ban could be implemented in two years, rather than four. It will benefit workers, neighbors, wildlife and the community overall as Ann Arbor joins many other communities with similar ordinances, he said.
The Ann Arbor City Council meeting on Dec. 18, 2023. (Ryan Stanton | MLive.com)Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News
Former Council Member Joan Lowenstein expressed thanks to council for the ordinance, saying it helps protect lawn care workers who will be “happy to not be abused by having to wear gasoline backpacks and be endangered every day.”
The city took an initial step toward limiting use of gas leaf blowers in 2019 when council banned outdoor maintenance equipment with two-cycle combustion engines, but that only applied downtown and still allowed four-cycle engines.
Former Council Member Jeff Hayner, who supported the measure four years ago, spoke out Monday, expressing doubt it has had much of an impact based on what he’s seen.
“That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it, but it didn’t seem to make a difference,” he said.
The Ann Arbor City Council meeting on Dec. 18, 2023. (Ryan Stanton | MLive.com)Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News
City officials said the new ordinance will be complaint-driven, meaning officers will respond when people report complaints and issue warnings or tickets. The penalty fine is $100 for a first offense and $250 for additional offenses.
Council approved a companion resolution Dec. 4 to launch a campaign to educate residents and businesses on the transition to electric lawn equipment and to put any penalty fines collected for violations toward helping low-income residents and small businesses purchase electric leaf blowers.
The resolution also calls for launching a bulk-buy program to support purchasing electric lawn equipment for any interested residents and businesses.
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