Pasadena's ban on gas-powered leaf blowers starts in April

Gas-powered leaf blowers will be banned in Pasadena starting on April 28. 

The Pasadena City Council voted to ban the use of gas-power leaf blowers in March 2022. Additionally, the municipality also made it illegal to use a leaf blower to blow materials off a person's property and onto a neighbor's yard or a street for example. The ban builds off of the state's initiative to achieve 100% zero emissions by 2035.

Beginning in 2024, California will ban the sale of gas-powered leaf blowers but the state bill enacting the ban has gathered $27 million for small landscaping businesses and sole proprietors to help buy zero-emission equipment like leaf blowers and lawn mowers. There is currently $17.2 million left in the fund. 

Additionally, the California Clean Off-Road Equipment Voucher Incentive Project is offering point-of-sale discounts of up to $400 for each electric-powered leaf blower purchased by small businesses and sole proprietor landscapers. The South Coast AQMD is also offering up a 75% rebate for an electric leaf blower. 

The rebate can be combined with the voucher program. 

The use of electric leaf blowers is restricted to between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. from Monday to Friday. On Saturdays, they can only be used between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. It is illegal to use leaf blowers on Sundays and holidays.