CURRENT STATUS: The Village's May 15 - September 30 seasonal ban on the use of gas-powered leaf blowers remains in place. Certain members of the Regional Leaf Blower Working Group, consisting of Glencoe, Glenview, Highland Park, Lake Bluff, Northbrook, Wilmette, and Winnetka have commissioned a study to evaluate the feasibility of extended gas leaf blower restrictions (view the proposal here).
In 2023, the Village Board approved a May 15 - September 30 seasonal ban on the use of gas-powered leaf blowers; the seasonal ban follows not only the Village’s Sustainability Plan, but also the Village's participation in a Regional Leaf Blower Working Group formed in late 2021 to study the impacts of gas-powered leaf blowers, alternative technologies and how communities could mitigate the impacts of this equipment. To ensure a balanced and thoughtful report, the Working Group was comprised of elected officials, appointed officials (i.e. Sustainability Commission members), professional municipal staff (municipalities and park districts), and representatives of the landscape industry. Watch the SEC’s February 21, 2023 discussion regarding the draft gas-powered leaf blower ordinance and listen to the Village Administrator’s report regarding the gas-powered leaf blower regulations; view the working group's final report released in December 2022.
At the time of adoption, the Village Board indicated that the seasonal ban should be evaluated within two years. At its November 11, 2024 meeting, the Village Board referred exploring possible policy changes related to gas-powered leaf blowers to the Sustainability and Community Enhancement Ad Hoc Committee (SEC). At its December 2, 2024 meeting, the SEC voted to recommend the Village Board extend the ban on the use of gas-powered leaf blowers from seasonal to year-round and explore enhanced enforcement options. The Committee-of-the-Whole (COW) discussed the SEC’s recommendations at its January 13, 2025 meeting and requested the SEC evaluate expanding the existing seasonal ban to limit the use of gas-powered leaf blowers to smaller windows during the spring and fall months as well as enforcement mechanisms, including landscaper registration. At its February 18, 2025 meeting, the SEC recommended a 9-month ban on gas-powered leaf blowers (only allowing use in April, October and November) along with landscaper registration that would not create a hardship for smaller landscapers.
