Alexandria will soon become the first city in Virginia to ban gas-powered leaf blowers or leaf vacuums.
Starting this November, nobody in the city — from homeowners to landscapers — will be allowed to clear their leaves with a gas blower. It’ll have to be an electric one instead.
What happens if you break the rule? First you’ll get verbal and written warnings.If it continues…
You could get hit with a fine from anywhere between $100-$500.
So why is this happening? The City of Alexandria said it could reduce noise levels and it could reduce air and water pollution.
However, there are varying thoughts on this.
To get residents ready for the change, the city held a community meeting Tuesday night.
“We bought an electric blower, and, I mean, I can have a conversation just like this. My husband will be out there blowing, and we can chat, and that was not the case with our previous gas equipment,” one attendee said.
“I think it’s overreach,” another said. “I think if you want to go to the step of banning gas-powered blowers, then you should buy them — buy them from us and give us replacements then.”
The ban goes into effect Nov. 17.
While Alexandria may be the first city in Virginia to implement a ban like this, they’re not the first in the entire DMV. D.C. has had a ban since 2022 and Montgomery County, Maryland has also had a ban in effect since last July.
