Ann Arbor launches discount and rebate programs supporting gas-powered leaf blower ban
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – The City of Ann Arbor has introduced a discount and rebate plan to nudge along a transition away from gas-powered lawn care equipment in favor of electric equipment.
The discounts and rebates, announced this week, will begin March 1, and are a spinoff of what has been called Ann Arbor's "leaf blower ordinance." Both programs are meant to help lower the cost of getting replacement equipment:
- The Electric Lawn Care Equipment Program will provide discounts for such items purchased from March 1 to May 31 of 2025. Ann Arbor residents, along with lawn care and landscaping business that do work for Ann Arbor residents, can register for the program.
- The Electric Leaf Blower Rebate Program is aimed at commercial businesses that provide lawn care or landscaping services for sites in Ann Arbor. These rebates can be use for electric or battery-powered leaf blowers purchased at any retailer from March 1 to May 31 of 2025. Participants must trade in an old gas-powered leaf blower to get the rebate.
Details about both programs are on the City of Ann Arbor website.
Ann Arbor City Council passed a leaf blower ordinance in December 2023, limiting the use of gas-powered leaf blowers from June through September through 2027; and banning them completely starting in 2028.
"The purpose of this ordinance is not only to promote city sustainability goals by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but also to protect the health and welfare of Ann Arbor residents by reducing noise and air pollution in the community," the city's press release said.
The City of Ann Arbor's Office of Sustainability and Innovations launched in 2018.
The video above previously aired on May 29, 2024.
