New Canaan committee weighs seasonal ban on gas leaf blowers, debates limits for electric models and enforcement

NEW CANAAN, Conn. — Residents urged stricter limits on leaf blowers and committee members debated a compromise on Sept. 29 as the Town Council’s Bylaws & Ordinances Committee reviewed a draft ordinance that would restrict blowers during a summer season.

Hillary Arman, the committee member who prepared the draft, told the committee the measure is intended to "set specific controls on the use of leaf blowers, in particular gas powered leaf blowers," and described the proposal as a starting point for public comment and edits.

Why it matters: speakers from across the town told the committee they hear noise and smell from gas blowers at close range, and several cited health, quality-of-life and competitiveness concerns — noting nearby towns with restrictions. Public commenters and committee members also raised practical questions about how to define the season, who would be exempt, and who would enforce the rule.

What was proposed: Arman’s circulated draft initially defined a "summer season" and would prohibit gas- and electric-powered blowers during that window across residential, commercial and municipal…