Maryland, My Maryland

Well, technically Montgomery County, but where Monkey County leads, the state usually follows. Montgomery County’s Leafblower Law–What does it mean for Me?

Montgomery County recently amended the County’s Noise law to prohibit certain gas leaf blowers–here’s what you need to know!

I heard this was a “phase out”. When Does the Prohibition Begin?

Sales of gas-powered handheld, backpack and walk-behind leaf blowers and leave vacuums are prohibited starting July 1, 2024. Use of gas-powered handheld, backpack and walk-behind leaf blowers and leave vacuums are prohibited starting July 1, 2025. The only exemption for this law are agricultural producers working on agriculturally zoned properties.

Why did the County pass this law?

Two-stroke engines like gas leaf blowers have an outsized impact on worker health, air quality, and the environment. Here’s just a few reasons why gas leaf blowers are problematic: Using a gas leaf blower for one hour emits the same amount of emissions as a car driving from Washington, D.C. to Miami, Florida! Americans use 3 billion gallons of gas each year just maintaining lawns and gardens! Here in Maryland we use 72 million gallons!

Low frequency noise from gas leaf blowers is a powerful stressor on health. The most cited effects on human health refer to emotional changes such as annoyance, agitation, and distraction, in addition to the association of low-frequency noise with cognitive alterations, the development of cardiovascular diseases, sleep disorders, and high blood pressure.

I suppose it depends on what pollutant you are concerned with. Obviously for CO2, the amount of pollution is proportional to the amount of gasoline burned, so the leaf blower uses far less. If you're concerned with CO, and unburned gas components,  the leaf blow certainly emits more, but is it really a big contributor to local air problems? I doubt it.

But what about the cost to my property or business?

Making the change from gas leaf blowers to electric can be an upfront cost, but the savings will pay back quickly in the costs of fuel and maintenance. Your health and the health of workers will be greatly improved working with electric machines. Not to mention, no more trips to the gas station, no hazardous fuel cleanups from spills, no concerns about the right oil/fuel mixture, no more air filter cleaning or spark plug replacements, and improved safety from less noise and cleaner air.

They really just don't care. 

Aren’t lithium ion batteries bad for the environment? And can they do the job?

For those of us not willing to use a rake, battery technology is much cleaner than fossil fuels. 90% of battery components can be recycled and reused over and over–once gas is burned, it’s only a pollutant in our air. And electric machines can be powered from renewable energy sources, like solar and wind–something fossil fuels can never do. 

Yes, but that's mostly someone else's problem, like the Uyghurs in China, or the miners in Chile and Australia. I guarantee there's not a single lithium mine in Montgomery County. Not to mention the cobalt mostly mined in Africa with child labor, basically slaves.

It is important to invest in quality equipment, like machines that have been rigorously tested by AGZA, to ensure you are buying machines with well-built and long lasting batteries.

While you might have to break out a rake a day’s work of heavy, wet leaves, or mow leaves for properties with lots of trees, good electric leaf blowers have come a long way and can do most jobs. Landscapers might need to have extra batteries for heavy work, and modifications to their trailers or workshops to charge multiple batteries safely. Shop wisely and charge smartly!

Are there fines if I violate the law?

Yes, the County’s noise law has fines. Noise violations are $500 for the first violation. With 18 months to make the transition, we are confident that folks with be working with electric leaf blowers well before then. The County is working on development of a rebate program to help our community make the transition. Stay tuned!

For what it's worth, I don't really like or use a gas powered leaf blowers. We had one once, and I wasn't a fan. It smelled, mixing gas and oil was a pain, and the carburetors always get gunked up.  We have a corded electric one, and enough power cords to reach anywhere I might need it. Georgia recently bought a small battery one for light jobs and it's a pretty nice for small jobs. But that doesn't mean I'd deny anyone else the choice.