Gas blower ban in MoCo

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just wish they were banned everywhere. If you live on a large condo or appartment complex you listening to 2-3 of these for 2-3 days. Each over 115 decibels each. Hours and hours on end.

Do you understand science? Specifically, the inverse square law?

Yes, they are indeed 115dB ONE METER from the device. At two meters, they are half as loud. At 4 meters, they are a fraction of that. And so on, geometrically down.


A leaf blower whirring off in the distance 50 or 100 yards away outside your dwelling is literally quieter than a human whisper.


You just don’t like them, that’s all. Stop pretending this is about health and safety.

Do you understand the concept of air quality? Gas blowers emit carcinogenic fumes. That’s a pretty clear health issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just had four tall oak trees removed. All our neighbors are mad at us because they provided some much shade and we told them the men that cuts our lawn told us they may double or triple the price of a leaf clean up so we decided to just have the trees removed.

The fact you need to explain and justify this to them is ridiculous

Cutting down four healthy oak trees because you don’t want to rake leaves twice a year (or just mulch with a mower) is a good way to piss off your neighbors who value trees and nature. Why would you live in an environment that you don’t even like? Just move to a condo and let the trees live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just wish they were banned everywhere. If you live on a large condo or appartment complex you listening to 2-3 of these for 2-3 days. Each over 115 decibels each. Hours and hours on end.

Do you understand science? Specifically, the inverse square law?

Yes, they are indeed 115dB ONE METER from the device. At two meters, they are half as loud. At 4 meters, they are a fraction of that. And so on, geometrically down.


A leaf blower whirring off in the distance 50 or 100 yards away outside your dwelling is literally quieter than a human whisper.


You just don’t like them, that’s all. Stop pretending this is about health and safety.

Do you understand the concept of air quality? Gas blowers emit carcinogenic fumes. That’s a pretty clear health issue.

Ok, so now we’re moving the goalposts, huh? If noise didn’t work, we’ll just change the topic to something else you think wins?


So now it’s the exhaust from the blowers? They cause pollution, right?

So do the power plants where the electricity that charges your electric leaf blowers batteries is produced.


“Oh but MY electricity is SOLAR AND WIND!”

Which just means that an equivalent amount of fossil fuels had to be burned to make up for the solar or wind electricity that went into your batteries. Electricity, like cash, is fungible.


Power plants pollute too. Your electric blower just has its tailpipe hundreds of miles away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just had four tall oak trees removed. All our neighbors are mad at us because they provided some much shade and we told them the men that cuts our lawn told us they may double or triple the price of a leaf clean up so we decided to just have the trees removed.

The fact you need to explain and justify this to them is ridiculous

Cutting down four healthy oak trees because you don’t want to rake leaves twice a year (or just mulch with a mower) is a good way to piss off your neighbors who value trees and nature. Why would you live in an environment that you don’t even like? Just move to a condo and let the trees live.

DP

If the neighbors supported such a ban on leaf blowers, then there’s a poetic justice in making them live with the unintended consequences of their desire to control others.

That’s life.

Too bad about those trees you liked looking at.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just had four tall oak trees removed. All our neighbors are mad at us because they provided some much shade and we told them the men that cuts our lawn told us they may double or triple the price of a leaf clean up so we decided to just have the trees removed.

The fact you need to explain and justify this to them is ridiculous

Cutting down four healthy oak trees because you don’t want to rake leaves twice a year (or just mulch with a mower) is a good way to piss off your neighbors who value trees and nature. Why would you live in an environment that you don’t even like? Just move to a condo and let the trees live.

DP

If the neighbors supported such a ban on leaf blowers, then there’s a poetic justice in making them live with the unintended consequences of their desire to control others.

That’s life.

Too bad about those trees you liked looking at.

The trees have an inherent value apart from any personal dynamics between neighbors so it’s a tragedy despite your smug self righteous framing of the situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just had four tall oak trees removed. All our neighbors are mad at us because they provided some much shade and we told them the men that cuts our lawn told us they may double or triple the price of a leaf clean up so we decided to just have the trees removed.

The fact you need to explain and justify this to them is ridiculous

Cutting down four healthy oak trees because you don’t want to rake leaves twice a year (or just mulch with a mower) is a good way to piss off your neighbors who value trees and nature. Why would you live in an environment that you don’t even like? Just move to a condo and let the trees live.

DP

If the neighbors supported such a ban on leaf blowers, then there’s a poetic justice in making them live with the unintended consequences of their desire to control others.

That’s life.

Too bad about those trees you liked looking at.

The trees have an inherent value apart from any personal dynamics between neighbors so it’s a tragedy despite your smug self righteous framing of the situation.

Those trees are the personal property of the people who own that land. If it weren’t for people trying to exert control over others, they’d still be standing today.

Maybe you’ll learn something about unintended consequences from this. When you try to impose your will on others, sometimes they will react in ways you don’t like.

[Anonymous]

Great news! Now you can report without photo evidence. This is such a well thought out and wonderful law! Surely nobody will abuse this. Nobody. /s

“A ban on the use of gas-powered leaf blowers in Montgomery County took effect on July 1. Under the ban, a person who witnesses someone using a gas-powered leaf blower can send a complaint to the director of the county’s Department of Environmental Protection.”
https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/12/02/elrich-signs-bill-removing-photo-requirement-for-gas-leaf-blower-reports/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=jetpack_social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQKNjYyODU2ODM3OQABHqbWdl4CTwUXo-gpDpegoC7c4pEEzWPA6EOqtQAZiDnhbUBwwvNPjcH_qli-_aem_AUQdaYixlCuJZEFazmeSbg

[Anonymous]

We decided to do the leaf clean up ourselves this year to see if we can do it. We normally have a lawn service but they said the price this year is going to be higher so we said just forget it. We raked the leaves on a tarp and made multiple trips out to the curb. We did this Black Friday , Saturday, and Sunday. We had the whole 3/4 of an acre raked up and piled up in front of our home going down the street about 200 feet long. A neighbor called us and wanted to know if we are going to leave them there and we said yes. We said the county would pick them up. They got mad and said the leaves are blowing across the street in their yard. We said we normally have them hauled away but the price was too much so we decided to do it ourselves and the county said they will pick them up. Meanwhile the neighbors hate us on both sides of us and across the street..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Great news! Now you can report without photo evidence. This is such a well thought out and wonderful law! Surely nobody will abuse this. Nobody. /s

“A ban on the use of gas-powered leaf blowers in Montgomery County took effect on July 1. Under the ban, a person who witnesses someone using a gas-powered leaf blower can send a complaint to the director of the county’s Department of Environmental Protection.”
https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/12/02/elrich-signs-bill-removing-photo-requirement-for-gas-leaf-blower-reports/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=jetpack_social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQKNjYyODU2ODM3OQABHqbWdl4CTwUXo-gpDpegoC7c4pEEzWPA6EOqtQAZiDnhbUBwwvNPjcH_qli-_aem_AUQdaYixlCuJZEFazmeSbg

I’m reporting EVERY lead blower, gas or not. They are ALL infernally noisy and unnecessary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We decided to do the leaf clean up ourselves this year to see if we can do it. We normally have a lawn service but they said the price this year is going to be higher so we said just forget it. We raked the leaves on a tarp and made multiple trips out to the curb. We did this Black Friday , Saturday, and Sunday. We had the whole 3/4 of an acre raked up and piled up in front of our home going down the street about 200 feet long. A neighbor called us and wanted to know if we are going to leave them there and we said yes. We said the county would pick them up. They got mad and said the leaves are blowing across the street in their yard. We said we normally have them hauled away but the price was too much so we decided to do it ourselves and the county said they will pick them up. Meanwhile the neighbors hate us on both sides of us and across the street..

Oh please. I grew up here and curb collection has been the regular practice for decades. If that pisses off your neighbors then that is their own personal problem. Tell them to buy a rake if they care so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great news! Now you can report without photo evidence. This is such a well thought out and wonderful law! Surely nobody will abuse this. Nobody. /s

“A ban on the use of gas-powered leaf blowers in Montgomery County took effect on July 1. Under the ban, a person who witnesses someone using a gas-powered leaf blower can send a complaint to the director of the county’s Department of Environmental Protection.”
https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/12/02/elrich-signs-bill-removing-photo-requirement-for-gas-leaf-blower-reports/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=jetpack_social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQKNjYyODU2ODM3OQABHqbWdl4CTwUXo-gpDpegoC7c4pEEzWPA6EOqtQAZiDnhbUBwwvNPjcH_qli-_aem_AUQdaYixlCuJZEFazmeSbg

I’m reporting EVERY lead blower, gas or not. They are ALL infernally noisy and unnecessary.

I suppose that will keep code enforcement busy.