HomeMy WebLinkAboutLeaf Blower Letter to Desert SunTo: Sustainability Commission
From: Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Leaf Blowers
Date: April 15, 2025
As part of our goal to increase compliance with the ordinance prohibiting the use of gas
powered leaf blowers in Palm Springs, we would like to send a n informational letter to The
Desert Sun. The proposed letter is below.
At the April 22 Commission meeting we will ask the Commissioners to approve sending the
letter.
Thank you.
In July 2017 the Palm Springs City Council voted to prohibit the use of gas-powered leaf blowers
in the City of Palm Springs.
Residents were concerned about the noise from the gas-powered blowers and the chemical
pollutants in the exhaust. Pollutants cause personal respiratory issues and add to climate
change in the long term. Noise has a more immediate effect on residents, visitors, and
landscapers every day.
The Council scheduled the ordinance to take effect in 2019 to allow time for landscapers to
prepare for the change. Meetings for landscapers were held, and rebates on electric blowers
and batteries were made available from the South Coast Air Quality Management District
(SCAQMD) and the City of Palm Springs.
In the six years since the ordinance took effect, the effects of climate change have become
more pervasive, and respiratory issues have increased. Many landscapers continue to use gas-
powered blowers.
Homeowners will be fined if Code Enforcement observes their landscapers using gas-powered
blowers. A fine not exceeding $100 will be realized for the first violation. A fine not exceeding
$500 per violation will be realized if there are more than two violations within one year.
Rebates on electric blowers and batteries are still available from the SCAQMD (not exceeding
$1400 for a leaf blower and two additional batteries) and the City’s Office of Sustainability (not
exceeding $750 for a leaf blower and additional batteries).
Roy Clark
Kathleen Cohn
Michael Frick
Palm Springs Sustainability Commission Members