Southampton Village Approves Ban On Summertime Gas-Powered Leaf Blower Use

Southampton Village officials have approved two laws aimed at regulating the landscaping industry, after listening to and weighing the concerns of both landscapers and members of the community.

“That is going to completely outlaw the use of gas-powered leaf blowers … during the summertime,” Southampton Village Mayor Michael Irving said following the unanimous votes on April 11, for which Village Trustee Richard Yastrzemski was not in attendance. “I think it’s a much needed thing. There were numerous complaints on the leaf blowers.”

One of the laws, which goes into effect in May, places a ban on the use of gas-powered leaf blowers during the summer season. The other, which will not go into effect until January 1, 2020, requires landscapers to register annually if they want to work in the village.

By requiring landscapers to register, village officials say they will be able to monitor which are properly licensed and insured. Not only that, the registry ensures that landscapers understand the other law that was passed—one dealing with the noise and nuisance associated with gas-powered landscaping equipment—before they can work in the village.

The cost to register with the village is $75 annually, which can be modified from time to time by the Village Board

Under the nuisance law, landscapers—though the law also applies to homeowners themselves as well—only will be permitted to use gas-powered leaf blowers from September 21 through May 19, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday. The use of the equipment will be prohibited on Sundays throughout the year, as well as federal and state holidays.

The restrictions also apply to tennis and beach clubs, as well as to municipal employees.

The equipment may be used if the mayor declares a state of emergency after a major storm, when more powerful gas-powered equipment is preferred over electric-powered equipment.

Only two handheld or backpack leaf blowers are allowed to be used at a single property smaller than a half acre, according to the law.

Mr. Irving said police will not necessarily be out enforcing the new law, but if someone complains, the police will be dispatched.

“I suspect that the landscapers themselves are going to be enforcing it,” the mayor said of the new law. “A lot of them are making a concerted effort to switch to battery-powered, so they aren’t going to put up with somebody using a gas-powered unit.”

Anyone who violates the nuisance law could face a fine of up to $1,000, up to 15 days in jail, or a combination of both.

The main reason the registry law is being put off until January 1, Mr. Irving said, is because the village does not have the ability to enforce it. He added that the village is in the process of hiring additional personnel in the Building Department to do so.

Once in place, a first-time violation of the registration could carry a fine of $250 to $500, a second offense could carry a fine of between $500 and $2,500, and a third offense could be carry a fine as high as $5,000.