New Castle

Ban status

Seasonal ban on gas-powered leaf blowers. Gas prohibited June 1–September 30; electric permitted year-round. Town Code Chapter 90; adopted unanimously September 22, 2020, with enforcement beginning June 1, 2021. Quiet-hours baseline of 45 dB(A) outside standard hours (8am–8pm M–F, 9am–8pm Saturday, 9am–5pm Sunday/holidays). Exemptions for schools, municipal recreation facilities, country clubs, HOAs, cemeteries, and golf courses; emergency use authorized by the Public Works Commissioner.

Timeline

• 2024-12-11 Meeting with officials — Sustainability Committee briefs Town Board on expanded gas-equipment phase-out
• 2024-06-01 Effective date reached — Annual summer gas leaf blower ban takes effect
• 2021-07-06 Town hall / public meeting — Mount Pleasant Town Board Eyes Gas-Powered Leaf Blower Regulations

Research & citations

• Town of New Castle — Leaf Blower Ordinance — Town of New Castle, 2020-09-22
  Town Code Chapter 90 summary: gas-powered leaf blowers prohibited June 1–September 30; adopted September 22, 2020; enforcement began June 1, 2021.
• Mount Pleasant Town Board Eyes Gas-Powered Leaf Blower Regulations
  The Mount Pleasant Town Board heard a pitch from Conservation Advisory Council members to impose seasonal restrictions on gas-powered leaf blowers, allowing use only during spring clean-up and fall leaf season while permitting electric blowers year-round. The proposal is still being developed and must be submitted as a formal ordinance before the board will act. Mount Pleasant would join more than 20 other Westchester County municipalities that have adopted some form of leaf blower regulation.
• Town of New Castle — Code (leaf blower / noise) — Town of New Castle
  New Castle, NY Town Code (leaf blower / noise provisions). Source: eCode360.
• Town of New Castle — Code Chapter 90 (Noise): Leaf Blower Provisions — Town of New Castle
  Primary law text for the Town of New Castle (NY) noise ordinance, Chapter 90, which contains codified provisions regulating gas-powered leaf blowers. Hosted on eCode360 — the authoritative municipal-code source for this regulation.
• Town of New Castle, NY — Official Website