QUIET YARDS
GREENWICH
ABOUT US
W E A R E G R E E N W I C H R E S I D E N T S
Our committee represents a broad consortium of community stakeholders. We are Greenwich residents, former and current landscapers, parents, business owners, PTA members, realtors, neighborhood association leadership, RTM members, Conservation Commission members, Town Sustainability Committee members, board members of the Greenwich Land Trust, Tree Conservancy, League of Women Voters, and commercial garden professionals.
O U R M I S S I O N
Quiet Yards Greenwich aims to address citizen complaints about the excessive use of gas powered leaf blowers in residential neighborhoods. We seek to raise awareness of the negative impacts of gas leaf blowers and to propose positive workable solutions that will improve our quality of life while maintaining our resident’s choices for their properties.
H I S T O R Y
The use of gas-powered leaf blowers has grown exponentially in the past two decades. Residents complain of the constant drone, toxic fumes, and poor air quality. Residents choose to live in Greenwich for our open spaces and tranquility. Working, studying, or even just enjoying our yards and homes with peace of mind and good health shouldn’t just be a priority but a private property right. However, the use of gas blowers prevents us from fully using our homes and properties as we would like to because gas blower noise, fumes and particulates cross property lines impacting our entire community. Since the early nineties, we are the third group in Greenwich to push for a balance. Luckily with new technologies, there are a variety of common sense solutions that finally strike a common ground for residents, landscape businesses, and blower operators.
O U R S U P P O R T E R S
We are grateful to those that support our mission, materials, and a cleaner quieter Greenwich
C L I C K P I C T U R E T O R E A D A R T I C L E
SOLUTIONS
G R E E N W I C H L E A F B L O W E R O R D I N A N C E
After discussions and negotiations with residents and landscapers, the Town of Greenwich (RTM) voted on Quiet Yard Greenwich’s January 2024 proposal. These changes are now in the Greenwich municipal noise code under section effective immediately:
6B-6e Prohibited Noise Activities
(3) No person shall operate or permit the operation of any leaf blower between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. Monday through Friday and between 3:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. Saturday, Sunday and Holidays.
(4) Commercial use of gasoline-powered leaf blowers on premises in residential zones is prohibited on Sundays.
(5) Commercial and/or residential property parcels of one-quarter (¼) acre or less may only be serviced by one (1) leaf blower at any given time.
(6) The use of gasoline-powered leaf blowers on premises in residential zones is prohibited from 6:00 p.m. the Friday before Memorial Day through September 30, inclusive, except for properties of two or more (2+) acres where the prohibition ends the day after Labor Day (*penalties for violations of this provision will be levied starting in 2025)
Sec. 6B-10. - Penalties
(1) First offense: Warning and education concerning the provisions of this chapter;
(2) Second offense: One hundred dollars ($100.00);
(3) Each subsequent offense: Two hundred forty-nine dollars ($249.00).
It shall be the responsibility of the operator, and any person employing the operator, to abate the violation as ordered by the Town Administrator & COO. Each day's violation shall be deemed a separate offense.
Violations of this ordinance should be reported to the Greenwich Police Non-Emergency Number: 203-622-8006
2 STATES & HUNDREDS OF U.S. MUNICIPALITIES HAVE GAS BLOWER BANS
Responding to resident complaints and public health concerns, hundreds of municipalities around the country have placed limits on gas blowers. California, Hawaii, Montgomery County MD, and many large municipalities with heavy leaf fall have placed full bans proving that alternatives to gas blowers work. The proliferation of gas free landscapers, equipment, and the improvement to landscaper profits is further validation that a healthier model is a reality. A 2023 partial list of municipalities includes:
AZ: Maricopa County (20 municipalities) *CA state* Colorado: Aspen, Carbondale * CT: Greenwich, Norwalk, Westport * Washington, DC * FL: Miami, Coral Gables, Naples, Palm Beach. Tampa, Key West * HI state * IL: Evanston, Glencoe, Highland Park, Lake Bluff, Lincolnwood, Oak Park, Wilmette, Winnetka * MD: Montgomery County (19 municipalities), Chevy Chase * MA: Arlington, Brookline, Cambridge, Lexington, Lincoln, Longport, Newton * MI: Ann Arbor, Blackmon, Cassopolis, Kalamazoo, Oakland, Richland, Roseville * NH: Portsmouth * NJ: Summit, Maplewood, Highland Park, Montclair, Princeton, Woodcliff Lake * NY: Bedford, Pound Ridge, Ardsley, Bronxville, Dobbs Ferry, East Hampton, Flower Hill, Garden City, Great Neck, Greenburg, Hastings, Huntington, Irvington, Larchmont, Mamaroneck (Town and Village), Newcastle, New Rochelle, Northcastle, NYC, North Hempstead, Nyack, Orangetown, Oyster Bay, Pelham Village, Port Chester, Rye, Scarsdale, Sleepy Hollow, Southampton, Tarrytown, Thomaston, Tuckahoe, White Plains, Yonkers * NC: Chapel Hill * OR: Portland * TX: Highland Park, Houston * VA: Fairfax County, Alexandria * VT: Burlington * WA: Seattle
NEIGHBORING TOWNS WITH LEAF BLOWER LIMITS:
Summer & Winter Limits
Bedford, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, Mt. Vernon, Scarsdale, Pelham Manor, Port Chester, Ossining, White Plains, Greenburgh
Summer Limits
Westport, Norwalk, Bronxville, Rye, Hastings on Hudson, Mamaroneck, New Castle, New Rochelle, Sleepy Hollow, Tuckahoe, Yonkers, Tarrytown, Ardsley, Mt Kisco, Pleasantville, Croton on Hudson, Rye Brook, North Castle, Greenwich (2024)
Year Round Moratorium
Larchmont, Irvington, Norwalk will consider in 2026 (current ban is summer)
Ridgefield and Darien are working on bans
ELECTRIC LEAF BLOWERS SOLVE NOISE AND AIR QUALITY ISSUES
Electric leaf blowers, with new battery technology and competitive power metrics, are excellent alternatives to gas blowers. The newer commercial models can match or exceed the power of gas handhelds or backpack blowers. They are significantly quieter with no maintenance, a longer life span, and no toxic emissions. Electric noise waves are high frequency and do not penetrate walls and windows or travel long distances the way low frequency gas blower sound waves do. Additionally,
electric blowers save landscapers significant costs through lack of maintenance and time spent refueling with expensive gas and oil. In fact, gas free landscapers work 10+ acre properties year-round in Greenwich currently. For late fall clean-ups, electric landscapers mulch mow and use sweepers along with electric blowers when fall leaves are heavy and wet.
NOISE: ELECTRIC VS GAS BLOWERS - NOT ALL DECIBELS ARE THE SAME
-
Electric leaf blowers are quieter by decibel level AND sound frequency.
Decibel levels are logarithmic:
A 3 dB change yields a 100% increase in sound energy and just over a 23% increase in loudness.
A 10 db increase means 10 times louder, a 20 db increase means 100 times louder.
-
Gas Blower low frequency sound waves penetrate walls and windows and travel long distances crossing property lines!
Even at the same decibel level, electric blowers are high frequency sound waves that don’t penetrate or travel as far as lower frequency gas blower sound waves (See Town of Greenwich White Paper for studies, and references (under "Resources" tab on the menu)