UPDATED 7/17/25
At a public meeting of the Village Board of Turstees on Monday, July 14, 2025, the Board voted to adopt the ordinance language recommended by the Sustainability Commission. New language is underlined.
3-3-5: LAWN MAINTENANCE/LANDSCAPING:
A. Definitions: For the purpose of this section, certain words and phrases are defined as follows:
LAWN MAINTENANCE CONTRACTOR: any person who makes a business of mowing, trimming, raking or fertilizing lawns, or other landscape work, and who employs two or more persons in the business, and shall include a landscape contractor.
ELECTRIC LEAF BLOWER: A leaf blower which is powered by an electric motor.
GAS-POWERED LEAFBLOWER: A leaf blower which is powered by gasoline or propane, including an electric leaf blower powered by stand-alone fossil fuel powered generators or generators powered by vehicle engines.
B. Removal Of Wastes: Any person conducting the business of lawn maintenance shall, upon completion of each job, remove and legally dispose off site all clippings, trimmings or other yard refuse and materials or shall ensure that the materials are properly bagged, tagged, and placed for collection by the Village's waste disposal contractor or otherwise removed and disposed of in accordance with all applicable Federal, State and local environmental laws, rules and regulations. Such yard refuse shall not be allowed to accumulate on site nor shall it be placed on vacant lots, streets or alleys.
C. Beginning calendar year 2026 and for each subsequent year through 2029, a lawn maintenance contractor who commits to using only electric leaf blowers year-round shall receive a reimbursement of one hundred twenty-five dollars for the fees set forth in section 3-3-2 and be listed on the Village website as a landscape contract committed to utilizing exclusively electric leaf blowers. A lawn maintenance contractor who makes said commitment and is found to be using a gas-powered leaf blower shall be fined two hundred fifty dollars and be removed from the list of contractors utilizing exclusively electric leaf blowers.
NEW SECTION:
LEAF BLOWER USE:
- For the purposes of this section, the term “gas-powered leaf blower” shall mean: A leaf blower that is powered by gasoline or propane, including an electric leaf blower powered by stand-alone fossil fuel powered generators or generators powered by vehicle engines.
- In calendar years 2026 and 2027, no gas-powered leaf blower shall be permitted to be operated in the Village between the dates of May 15 and September 15, except as provided below.
- In calendar years 2028 and 2029, gas-powered leaf blowers shall only be permitted to be operated in the Village during the months of April, October, and November, except as provided below. The Village Administrator may, at their sole discretion, extend the aforementioned allowable periods, up to 30 additional days.
- Beginning in 2030 and in each subsequent year thereafter, no gas-powered leaf blowers shall be permitted to be operated in the Village, except as provided below.
- The use of portable fossil-fuel generators to power electric leaf blowers or to recharge batteries used in leaf blowers is prohibited in the Village beginning May 15, 2026.
- Exceptions: Gas-powered leaf blowers shall be permitted to be operated, at the direction of the Village Administrator, for the purpose of cleanup activities necessary as a result of extreme weather or other emergency conditions.
- Conflict with State Law: If any provision of this section conflicts or is otherwise inconsistent with a provision of state law, the more stringent or restrictive provision shall prevail and shall be enforced by the Village.
- Penalty: Anyone violating any provision of this chapter may be fined in accordance with the penalties set forth in section 6-7-5 of the Noise Pollution chapter of the Village Code. If a business required to be licensed under Title 3 of the Village Code, including any contractor requiring a license under Chapter 3-3, is found in violation of this provision, the business or licensee, rather than the individual operating the leaf blower, shall be fined.
Anyone with questions regarding the ordiance should contact Seth Jansen, Management Analyst and Sustainability Commission Staff Liaison at sjansen@vrf.us or 708-714-3521.