WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA – You’re sitting down in your backyard for a nice late season BBQ, when all of a sudden, it starts.
CHUG CHUG CHUG WRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You hear the roar and smell the exhaust wafting over your fence. Your neighbor is using a gas leaf blower, and suddenly your yard smells like the Autopia ride at Disneyland.
That may soon be a thing of the past in Walnut Creek.
Walnut Creek is moving to outlaw gas-powered leaf blowers citywide, citing health, noise and air-quality concerns. On Nov 4, 2025, the City Council took up a staff-drafted ordinance to prohibit their use with limited emergency exceptions, aligning with the city’s 2023 Sustainability Action Plan and California’s broader phaseout of small gas engines under AB 1346. A second reading is expected later this month.
Why leaf blowers are in the crosshairs
City staff highlighted research from the California Air Resources Board linking gas blowers to hazardous exhaust (benzene, formaldehyde, 1,3-butadiene), carbon monoxide exposure, ozone formation, and high decibel noise that can exceed OSHA thresholds.
Those health and quality-of-life impacts, plus the state ban on sales of new small off-road engines starting in 2024, underpin Walnut Creek’s push to end use—not just sales—within city limits.
What the draft rules would do
- Ban use of gas leaf blowers citywide—for homeowners, businesses, landscapers, and the City itself. Emergency use during storms or life-safety situations would be exempt.
- Put responsibility on the property owner. If your contractor uses a gas blower on your property, you’re the one on the hook under the ordinance.
- Set penalties similar to other municipal code violations—$100 for a first offense, $200 for a second within a year, and $500 for additional violations.
Timeline and enforcement window
Coverage from local outlets indicates the council backed the policy on Nov 5 in a 5-0 vote and favored an implementation date of April 1, 2026—pushing past winter to allow education and transition time. Final language is slated to return for a second reading on Nov 18, 2025. Expect a ramp-up period focused on outreach before tickets start flying.
What this means for residents and landscapers
- Start planning for electric. Staff analysis says many landscapers already use some battery gear, and lifetime operating costs can be lower due to fuel and maintenance savings—even if upfront costs are higher.
- Expect education first, citations later. The city says outreach will be the main compliance tool and has already begun contacting landscapers, HOAs, and businesses.
- Noise rules still matter. Even with electric blowers, general noise restrictions continue to apply under the municipal code.
