Huntington's gas-powered leaf blower restrictions on hold after backlash
The Town of Huntington paused its ban on gas-powered leaf blowers. Credit: Rick Kopstein
Tighter restrictions on gas-powered leaf blowers in the Town of Huntington are on hold following pushback from landscapers and residents, according to Huntington Town officials.
In November, the town board voted 5-0 to restrict the use of the devices this year and allow only limited commercial use starting in 2026.
Town board member Dave Bennardo said in the lead-up to that vote, the board had not heard any opposition to the measure.
But following the approval, he said, blowback was swift. The board received 1,000 communications from the public, with landscapers citing concern about the lack of availability and power from battery-operated devices needed for professional use. He said residents were worried about increased costs for services and battery storage.
“So, we said, 'Let’s pause this thing and get a committee together to get a consensus to get us to a place that we all can live with,' ” Bennardo said in an interview.
The board voted 5-0 on Feb. 11 to not enforce the resolution adopted in November under the town’s noise ordinance. Town officials said the pause is in effect until January 2026.
The November resolution said that starting Jan. 1, 2025, gas-powered leaf blowers would be banned for residential properties between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Newsday previously reported. They also would have been banned on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. From Labor Day to Memorial Day, the devices would have been banned Monday through Friday before 8 a.m. and after 5 p.m., according to the resolution. The law would apply to homeowners and landscaping companies.
Commercial landscapers would be able to use gas-powered leaf blowers at cemeteries, golf courses, school-owned properties or in commercial and industrial zones on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Newsday previously reported.
Beginning in 2026, the allowances for cemeteries, golf courses, school-owned properties or in commercial and industrial zones would remain, but residential use of the devices would be banned, Newsday previously reported.
Town code bans commercial landscapers from operating gas leaf blowers on residential properties on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Residents are permitted to use the devices for a limited time on the weekends between May and September. The leaf blowers are permitted Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. for limited hours.
Bennardo said by April he expects to begin discussions with landscapers, property owners, residents, industry experts and country club representatives to reassess the restrictions. He said his office will also research other municipalities that have banned the devices.
Evan Dackow, a board member with the Landscape Contractors Association of Long Island, a 1,200-member organization, said he is happy with the reprieve.
He said there are products out there that are fine for homeowners, but for professionals, the battery life and power on blowers is just not there yet.
“When you are doing multiple properties all day long, it’s a higher-use requirement,” he said, adding they need the blower to run for a long time with a lot of force in order to complete jobs efficiently.
Bennardo said small business owners who opposed the ban also were concerned about how to charge the batteries. He said many of the businesses don’t have a permanent facility and operate from their homes.
He said those businesses would end up charging numerous batteries through generators on their property or trucks, creating “after-hours noise and burning fossil fuel.”
Frances Whittelsey, a member of the Huntington League of Women Voters, which has lobbied for a full ban, said she’s disappointed the town is reconsidering the new restrictions.
“They are ignoring the public health implications,” she said. “I think they are giving in to landscapers who don’t want to change the way they have been doing things forever.”
Bennardo stressed it was not only landscapers who are resisting further restrictions.
“We’re not unmoved by the concerns of those who oppose gas-powered leaf blowers,” he said. “We’re just saying that we want to slow this down so it’s something that people will follow and live with, because a rule that is unenforceable and unmanageable leads to total noncompliance.”
CORRECTION: Evan Dackow's position with the Landscape Contractors Association of Long Island was incorrect in an earlier version of this story.
Tighter restrictions on gas-powered leaf blowers in the Town of Huntington are on hold following pushback from landscapers and residents, according to Huntington Town officials.
In November, the town board voted 5-0 to restrict the use of the devices this year and allow only limited commercial use starting in 2026.
Town board member Dave Bennardo said in the lead-up to that vote, the board had not heard any opposition to the measure.
But following the approval, he said, blowback was swift. The board received 1,000 communications from the public, with landscapers citing concern about the lack of availability and power from battery-operated devices needed for professional use. He said residents were worried about increased costs for services and battery storage.
“So, we said, 'Let’s pause this thing and get a committee together to get a consensus to get us to a place that we all can live with,' ” Bennardo said in an interview.
The board voted 5-0 on Feb. 11 to not enforce the resolution adopted in November under the town’s noise ordinance. Town officials said the pause is in effect until January 2026.
The November resolution said that starting Jan. 1, 2025, gas-powered leaf blowers would be banned for residential properties between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Newsday previously reported. They also would have been banned on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. From Labor Day to Memorial Day, the devices would have been banned Monday through Friday before 8 a.m. and after 5 p.m., according to the resolution. The law would apply to homeowners and landscaping companies.
Commercial landscapers would be able to use gas-powered leaf blowers at cemeteries, golf courses, school-owned properties or in commercial and industrial zones on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Newsday previously reported.
Beginning in 2026, the allowances for cemeteries, golf courses, school-owned properties or in commercial and industrial zones would remain, but residential use of the devices would be banned, Newsday previously reported.
Town code bans commercial landscapers from operating gas leaf blowers on residential properties on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Residents are permitted to use the devices for a limited time on the weekends between May and September. The leaf blowers are permitted Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. for limited hours.
Bennardo said by April he expects to begin discussions with landscapers, property owners, residents, industry experts and country club representatives to reassess the restrictions. He said his office will also research other municipalities that have banned the devices.
Evan Dackow, a board member with the Landscape Contractors Association of Long Island, a 1,200-member organization, said he is happy with the reprieve.
He said there are products out there that are fine for homeowners, but for professionals, the battery life and power on blowers is just not there yet.
“When you are doing multiple properties all day long, it’s a higher-use requirement,” he said, adding they need the blower to run for a long time with a lot of force in order to complete jobs efficiently.
Bennardo said small business owners who opposed the ban also were concerned about how to charge the batteries. He said many of the businesses don’t have a permanent facility and operate from their homes.
He said those businesses would end up charging numerous batteries through generators on their property or trucks, creating “after-hours noise and burning fossil fuel.”
Frances Whittelsey, a member of the Huntington League of Women Voters, which has lobbied for a full ban, said she’s disappointed the town is reconsidering the new restrictions.
“They are ignoring the public health implications,” she said. “I think they are giving in to landscapers who don’t want to change the way they have been doing things forever.”
Bennardo stressed it was not only landscapers who are resisting further restrictions.
“We’re not unmoved by the concerns of those who oppose gas-powered leaf blowers,” he said. “We’re just saying that we want to slow this down so it’s something that people will follow and live with, because a rule that is unenforceable and unmanageable leads to total noncompliance.”
CORRECTION: Evan Dackow's position with the Landscape Contractors Association of Long Island was incorrect in an earlier version of this story.
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