Greenburgh board reopens leaf‑blower debate, agrees to re‑publicize law and consider time limits

The Town Board of Greenburgh spent much of its Nov. 19 work session revisiting a long‑running dispute over leaf blowers, agreeing to re‑publicize an existing local law that limits the number of blowers on a property and to ask staff to draft public notice language for board review.

Board members said repeated resident complaints about noise have prompted the follow‑up discussion. Members noted the town already has a local law that scales the allowable number of blowers by property size — allowing as many as four on the largest properties and fewer on smaller parcels — but that the rule was not widely publicized, which limits the town’s ability to enforce it without formal complaints.

"You need people to call in complaints in order to have somebody go out and address the DBA and determine if it's exceeding the noise levels," a staff member said, describing the enforcement process. Several board members said clarifying and circulating the law on the town website and in routine town mailings should be the first step.

Teresa Tory, chair of the Conservation Advisory Council, told the board that the issue is broader than noise. "You're not solving the noise problem by going to electric," she said, warning that electric blowers can still be loud. Tory said leaf blowers also harm air quality and soil organisms and urged the board to consider environmental and public‑health impacts when weighing restrictions. She said the CAC had proposed a seasonal ban from mid‑June through mid‑September in earlier drafts.

Board members discussed other possible changes, including tightening allowable hours, limiting weekend use and reintroducing a sunset clause so any new restrictions could be trialed and adjusted. Several board members emphasized balancing resident comfort with the livelihoods of local landscapers, and one member suggested that lightweight steps — a clear website notice and a resident complaint pathway to the police or code enforcement — are attainable first moves.

Next steps: staff were asked to draft short, minimal language to post on the town website and distribute to residents who previously complained; the board will review the wording and consider whether to pursue time or seasonal restrictions or a trial sunset clause at a later meeting.