Palm Springs scales up enforcement of gas-powered leaf blower ban after data shows rise in citations

Code Compliance officials told the Palm Springs Sustainability Commission on Feb. 17 that the city has moved from an education-first approach to a more assertive enforcement posture for the municipal ban on gas-powered leaf blowers, citing sharp increases in citations and a push to improve reporting and outreach.

Mitch Naphan, co‑compliance supervisor for the city’s Code Compliance Division, presented three years of data showing modest increases in complaints but a marked jump in citations beginning in 2024. Naphan said the city opened roughly 522 code cases across 2024–25 and that the split between proactive enforcement and complaint‑based actions was nearly even: 258 proactive finds and 264 complaint‑based cases. He said citations as a share of open cases rose to about 64% in 2024 and about 81% in 2025.

The shift, Naphan said, followed a period in which enforcement emphasized outreach, warnings and education after the ordinance took effect. “In our city's municipal code, violations of the noise ordinance … are treated as strict‑liability administrative offenses,” Naphan said, explaining that the code makes property owners responsible for violations on their property “regardless of whether a contractor performed the act or not.” The department began issuing certified notices and citations to owners in 2024 after repeated warnings, he said, which led many owners to call city staff and engage their landscapers.

Naphan told commissioners some landscapers have cited battery runtime and equipment cost as barriers to switching to electric commercial blowers. He said the city offers a grant — he described one program with up to $750 to offset the cost of a commercial‑grade electric blower — and that outreach and demonstrations have helped some firms adopt electric equipment.

Code Compliance also described reporting challenges. The department said a high share of reports arrive anonymously or with minimal information (single‑word reports such as “gas”), which hampers follow‑up: anonymous reports were about 54% in 2023, 68% in 2024 and 51% in 2025. Staff urged residents to use the My Palm Springs app or the web portal, upload photos when possible and provide contact information so officers can follow up and issue courtesy notices when they cannot observe a violation in real time.

Commissioners asked about technology options such as drones or passive sensors to improve real‑time evidence. Naphan said those technologies may be possible in the future but noted current police drone operations prioritize law‑enforcement priorities and that privacy and resource limits constrain current drone use. He added that some neighboring cities are experimenting with vehicle‑mounted passive capture systems and AI reconciliation, and said the city may consider such tools as resources allow.

The presentation prompted commissioners and public commenters to stress regional coordination — noting landscapers who operate across neighboring jurisdictions can continue using gas blowers unless multiple cities adopt similar rules — and to emphasize continued outreach to seasonal property owners who may not be aware of the ordinance. Naphan and staff recommended a possible citywide mailer and better website guidance on what photo and location details make a report actionable.

The commission’s ad hoc group on leaf blowers reported it submitted an op‑ed/letter to local media and intends to coordinate further regional outreach; the Palm Springs Post offered to convert commission materials into a news piece.

Next steps identified in the meeting included: boosting outreach and guidance for reporters, continuing grant support for equipment replacement, exploring regional coordination with neighboring cities, and monitoring emerging enforcement technology.