Alexandria City Council unanimously approved an ordinance Saturday (May 17) banning gas-powered leaf blowers, making Alexandria the first jurisdiction in Virginia to enact such a prohibition.
The ban follows years of community advocacy and comes after an August 2024 opinion from Virginia’s Attorney General confirming the city’s authority to regulate these devices through its noise ordinance.
The ordinance establishes an 18-month phase-out period for residents and businesses, while city government operations will transition away from gas-powered leaf blowers within one year.
The ban addresses both noise and environmental concerns. According to city staff presentations, running a gas-powered leaf blower for one hour produces pollution comparable to driving a new car from Washington, D.C. to Miami – approximately 1,100 miles.
Several speakers advocated for an even shorter phase-out period of one year, arguing that lawn service companies could afford to make the transition more quickly.
The city’s Transportation and Environmental Services department has already begun developing a communications plan to inform businesses and residents about the upcoming changes.
“We are putting together a communications plan so we will start communicating this to the public in plenty of time and start really this summer with the communications to make sure that we reach as many folks as possible,” said Jesse Maines, Stormwater Management Division Chief.
City staff has also hosted demonstrations with manufacturers of electric lawn equipment to provide alternatives and hands-on experience with the equipment for staff and contractors.
The city plans to develop incentive programs to help residents and businesses transition to electric alternatives. Officials have signed an agreement with Clean Air Partners for a leaf blower exchange program for residential users that will be available this summer.
“We are in the process of executing agreement with them for leaf blower exchange program for residential,” a city staff member explained. “They have a campaign that’s going on right now outside of our support of the city and we’re hoping to add additional support to that for the current summer.”
Commercial incentives are still being developed, with staff noting that providing equipment to commercial operators is more complex and expensive than residential programs.
Councilman Abdel-Rahman Elnoubi raised concerns about potential noise issues with some electric leaf blowers, asking if the city might need to address those in the future.
Staff confirmed that while some electric models might be loud, studies show they generally produce lower decibel levels than gas-powered versions. Additionally, the frequency of the noise from electric models doesn’t travel as far or penetrate homes as effectively as gas-powered equipment.
Alexandria joins neighboring jurisdictions, Washington D.C., and Montgomery County, Maryland, which have already implemented similar bans. D.C.’s ban has been in effect for three years, while Montgomery County’s ban on sales took effect July 1, 2024, with a use ban beginning July 1, 2025.
The ordinance amends Title 11, Chapter 5 of the city code to prohibit the use of gas-powered leaf blowers and vacuums. The ban for city operations will take effect July 1, 2026, while the complete ban for residents and businesses will begin January 1, 2027.
The city has allocated $75,000 in the approved FY 2026 Budget to fund the transition for city departments, including Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities, Transportation and Environmental Services, and General Services.
