Portland

Ban status

Phased ban under Ordinance 191653 (amending Portland City Code Title 17 under BPS / climate authority). Phase 1 in effect since January 1, 2026: gas-powered handheld and backpack leaf blowers permitted ONLY October 1–December 31 each year (9-month ban). Phase 2 effective January 1, 2028: year-round prohibition on all public and private property. Electric blowers permitted year-round subject to pre-existing Title 18.10.035 Approved Blower List noise regime (65 dBA at 50 ft stricter tier March 1–Oct 31; 70 dBA Nov 1–Feb 28). Property owners responsible for contractor compliance — penalties assessed against owners, not contractors (deliberate equity design to avoid penalizing immigrant landscape-worker crews).

Timeline

• 2026-04-27 15:55:22 Adopted — Portland, OR Passes Gas Leaf Blower Ban; Gradual Phase-Out Begins in 2026
• 2026-04-27 15:55:22 Adopted — Portland, OR Passes Gas Leaf Blower Ban; Gradual Phase-Out Begins in 2026
• 2026-01-28 Effective date reached — Phase: BPS administrative rules adopted
• 2026-01-01 Effective date reached — Phase: Phase 1 took effect — gas blowers permitted only October 1–December 31
• 2024-03-13 Adopted — City Council unanimously adopted Ordinance 191653
• 2022-12-09 Bill introduced — Joint City-County Leaf Blower Policy Work Group delivered recommendation report

• Upcoming 2028-01-01 Effective date reached — Phase 2 — year-round gas leaf blower ban takes effect

Research & citations

• Portland, OR Passes Gas Leaf Blower Ban; Gradual Phase-Out Begins in 2026
  Portland passed an ordinance banning gas-powered leaf blowers, with a gradual phase-out period beginning in 2026. The ban represents one of the first such measures in the Pacific Northwest. Landscapers and residents will have time to transition to electric alternatives before the full prohibition takes effect.
• Everyone hates gas-powered leaf blowers. So why is it so hard to ban them? — Grist — Grist, 2025-11-26
  Kate Yoder surveys the national landscape of gas-powered leaf blower restrictions and the implementation gap behind them: Westport, CT fought for a seasonal restriction and then found local officials weren't enforcing it; in Evanston, IL landscape workers allege harassment from residents reporting violations; Texas and Georgia have preempted local regulation; California's sales ban took effect January 2025, with the Western States Petroleum Association running a Latino-focused campaign against electrification; Colorado offers a 30% rebate on electric equipment; Portland and Baltimore are phasing out use; Wilmette, IL is coordinating with other greater-Chicago towns toward consistent regional policy. Article notes more than 200 local governments now have some form of restriction.
• The Movement to 'Make America Rake Again' — Reasons to be Cheerful — Reasons to be Cheerful, 2024-01-18
  Hannah Wallace profiles the national push to ban gas-powered leaf blowers, opening with Quiet Clean PDX co-chair Michael Hall (Portland, OR) and noting more than 100 US cities have enacted bans alongside 45+ Quiet Clean Alliance member groups. Calls Washington D.C.'s 2022 phase-out the "gold standard" — three-year ramp-up, citizen-affidavit enforcement via DLCP, fines up to $500. Surveys California's CARB AB-1346 zero-emission rule (effective Jan 2024) plus the state's $30M CORE voucher program; cites bans in Burlington VT, Evanston IL, Oakland, Beverly Hills, Santa Barbara, and Montgomery County MD; flags rebate/discount programs in Colorado (30% statewide point-of-sale discount, eff. Jan 2024) and Dallas. Quotes Seagraves Landscaping (West Linn, OR — a Lake Oswego Parks contractor) on crews preferring electric blowers. Closes by linking the movement to the Xerces Society's Leave the Leaves campaign.
• City of Portland — Municipal Code (leaf blower / noise) — City of Portland
  Codified leaf blower / noise ordinance for City of Portland, Oregon. Source: codified ordinance.
• Gas-Powered Leaf Blower Phase-out — Portland BPS
• Portland OR — gas leaf blower phase-out (Multnomah County 2025-2026) — Change.org
  Multnomah County (home of Portland OR) voted to phase out gas leaf blowers; effective ~2025-2026. Tracked across multiple change.org campaigns. Victory.
• Portland Ordinance 191653 — Gas Leaf Blower Phase-Out
• Portland, OR — Official Municipal Website
• Ordinance 191653 (full text) — City of Portland
• Quiet Clean PDX — Quiet Clean PDX
  Sister Quiet Clean campaign organizing in the Portland (PDX) area for a gas-leaf-blower transition.
• Portland City Council approves gas-powered leaf blower ban — OPB, 2024-03-13