Westport Summer Ban On Gas Leaf Blowers

Westport’s seasonal prohibition on handheld and backpack gas-powered leaf blowers took effect on Friday, May 15, according to the town’s Conservation Department. The restriction runs through October 15 under an ordinance passed by Westport’s Representative Town Meeting in January 2023. Conservation Director Colin Kelly said in a town notice posted May 14 that the town was entering its third year of summer enforcement. The town says the rule is intended to limit noise and reduce environmental and health impacts tied to gas-powered equipment. ### Which leaf blowers are covered, and for how long? Westport’s ordinance bars the use of handheld and backpack gas-powered leaf blowers from May 15 through October 15 each year. The town’s Conservation Department says that period is defined in the ordinance as “Summer.” Electric blowers remain allowed, subject to separate hour and sound rules listed on the town’s ordinance page. (westportct.gov) The May 14 town notice said the 2026 restriction applies from May 15, 2026, through October 15, 2026. Kelly said in that notice that “gas powered leaf blowers may not be used during Summer.” ### Where does the rule apply, and what are the exceptions? Westport’s ordinance applies to private properties, but it does not cover every parcel in town. (westportct.gov) The town says the ban does not apply to town- or state-owned properties, properties larger than 20 acres, or public utilities. The ordinance also allows gas-powered blowers for storm-condition cleanup. (westportct.gov) Westport Journal, citing the ordinance and town officials, reported that police do not enforce the restrictions and that town conservation officials handle complaints and follow-up. The town’s own ordinance page says enforcement is led by the Conservation Department. ### How is Westport enforcing the ban this year? (westportct.gov) The Conservation Department said on its ordinance page that enforcement is “primarily via education and outreach—not fines.” Kelly said in the May 14 notice that staff would respond as they had in previous years by reviewing complaints and sending educational materials to properties that were not following the ordinance. (westportjournal.com) The town says residents can report suspected violations by email at leafblowercomplaints@westportct.gov or by mail to the Conservation Department at 110 Myrtle Avenue in Westport. The May 14 notice also listed the department’s phone number as 203-341-1170 for more information. ### What happened during the first summer of enforcement? Westport said 168 properties were sent notices of violation during the 2024 season, the first summer in which the seasonal prohibition was in force. (westportct.gov) The town’s ordinance page says those notices followed resident complaints. Westport Journal reported the same figure in its May 14 article on the 2026 ban. (westportct.gov) The 2025 town notice described that season as the second year of enforcement, and the 2026 notice calls this year the third year of prohibition. Those notices track the ordinance’s rollout after the RTM approved the measure in 2023. ### Why did Westport adopt the ordinance in the first place? Westport’s ordinance page says the measure was adopted to protect residents’ health and well-being, preserve environmental quality, and support the town’s goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. (westportct.gov) That language appears in the town’s explanation of the rule rather than in a new 2026 policy statement. (westportct.gov) The 2023 ordinance remains available through Westport’s RTM publications page and the Conservation Department’s ordinance page. The current summer prohibition is scheduled to remain in effect until October 15, and residents can continue filing complaints with the Conservation Department during that period. (westportct.gov) (westportct.gov)