Brookhaven, GA Noise Ordinances: Leaf Blower Rules (2026)

Sec. 16-154(1) and (2) of the Brookhaven Code regulate power tools used for landscaping and yard maintenance, the category a leaf blower falls in. The section opens by applying notwithstanding the decibel limits and exceptions printed above it, so the hours below control even when a machine is otherwise quiet enough.

Homeowners and other non-commercial or non-industrial users cannot operate these tools between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., or on Saturday or Sunday before 9:00 a.m. At all other times the section's cross-referenced sound limits do not apply to them, on one condition: all motorized equipment must run with a functioning muffler. Sec. 16-151 defines a muffler as a sound-dissipative device or system for attenuating the sound of escaping gases of an internal combustion engine, where the device is part of the normal configuration of the equipment.

Commercial or industrial crews get a tighter schedule. Their equipment must carry a muffler, and it shall not be operated on a residential property or within 250 feet of a residential property line between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. on weekdays, before 9:00 a.m. or after 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, or at any time on Sunday. Two exceptions apply: the work is emergency work, or the activity meets the limits the section cross-references. Sec. 16-151 defines emergency work as any work performed to prevent or alleviate the physical trauma or property damage threatened or caused by an emergency.

Sec. 16-154 draws no line between gas and battery machines and sets no separate decibel cap for blowers alone, so the operative rules are the hours, the muffler and the 250-foot residential zone. A landscaper who cannot meet the schedule can apply to the chief of police for a special variance under Sec. 16-156, which requires a showing that compliance would be an unreasonable hardship and comes with a time limit and conditions.