Albuquerque, NM Noise Ordinances: Leaf Blower Rules (2026)

Section 9-9-7(B) of the Noise Control Ordinance lists leaf blowers by name among the outdoor power equipment it restricts, alongside sweepers, power mowers, rototillers and power saws used for sweeping, gardening or property repair. The ban applies within 500 feet of any noise-sensitive property, a term Section 9-9-2 defines as property with an occupied dwelling, school, hospital, religious institution, or child-care or adult-care facility. on a Sunday or holiday; outside those windows, on ordinary weekdays and Saturdays, leaf blower use is not time-restricted by this section.

The ordinance carves out one machine-specific exemption: power mowers used at golf courses are exempt from the leaf-blower and mower restriction entirely. Section 9-9-7(A) separately bars any stationary machinery, equipment, fan or air-conditioning apparatus from exceeding the general sound-level limits set in Section 9-9-4, which is a distinct rule from the time-and-distance leaf blower ban in subsection (B). Section 9-9-8 lists exceptions that also bear on yard equipment enforcement: emergency work, work authorized by a governmental body, and pre-existing legally installed equipment approved before the article's effective date are not covered by the noise limits at all.

Because leaf blower noise is regulated by the specific time-and-distance rule in Section 9-9-7(B) rather than by the general decibel tables, a code officer does not need a sound-level meter to cite a violation, only the time, the equipment type and the distance to a noise-sensitive property.