Alachua County, FL Noise Ordinances: Leaf Blower Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Restricted hours
- 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Covered equipment
- Power saws, drills, grinders, lawn/garden tools
- Applies where
- Outdoors in residential areas
- Trigger
- Disturbance across a residential property line
- Lawn mower exemption
- Exempt if run per manufacturer spec, muffled
Summary
Alachua County bars outdoor use of power tools and portable mechanical equipment, including power saws, sanders, drills, grinders and lawn or garden tools such as leaf blowers, in residential areas between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. if it causes a noise disturbance across a property line.
Portable mechanical equipment; domestic power tools. The use or operation of any power tools or portable mechanical equipment, including a power saw, sander, drill, grinder, lawn or garden tool, or similar device, used outdoors in residential areas between the hours of 9:00 p.m. of one day and 7:00 a.m. the following day so as to cause a noise disturbance across a residential real property boundary.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 63).
Full Breakdown
Section 110.03(h) prohibits using or operating power tools or portable mechanical equipment, including a power saw, sander, drill, grinder, lawn or garden tool, or similar device, outdoors in residential areas between 9:00 p.m. of one day and 7:00 a.m. the next, so as to cause a noise disturbance across a residential real property boundary. "Lawn or garden tool" covers gas or electric leaf blowers along with mowers, trimmers and similar equipment. A specific exemption in Sec. 110.05(e) carves out air conditioners and lawn mowers from Chapter 110 entirely when they're operated according to the manufacturer's specifications with all original mufflers and noise-reducing equipment in place and working, regardless of the hour. Enforcement of Chapter 110, including this subsection, is handled primarily by the Alachua County Sheriff's Office, which applies the ANSI-based measurement standards of Sec. 110.09 when a decibel reading is needed (Sec. 110.08).
Violations & Fines
A violation of Sec. 110.03(h) is a second-degree misdemeanor under F.S. §§ 775.082 and 775.083, and may alternatively be processed as a civil citation under F.S. Chapter 162 (Sec. 110.06). Deputies may issue a warning, a notice of violation, or make an arrest for a specific-prohibition violation like this one without a prior decibel measurement (Sec. 110.08(d)).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a leaf blower at 6 a.m. or after dark?
Are lawn mowers treated the same way?
What's the penalty for a nighttime power-tool violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alachua County
How Alachua County compares: Cities with the Strictest Leaf Blower Rules·Florida rules heatmap·Compare Alachua County to another location·View the Florida noise ordinances overview
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