Carmel City Code Sec. 6-158(b)(2) exempts lawn mowers, weed/leaf blowers, garden tractors, and power tools from the noise limits only when properly muffled and operated between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. Carmel does not ban leaf blowers or restrict them to gas vs. electric.
Carmel has no separate leaf-blower ordinance and no ban on gas-powered blowers. Instead, yard and power equipment is handled through an exemption in the noise ordinance. Sec. 6-158(b)(2) exempts 'lawn mowers, weed blowers, garden tractors, construction and repair equipment, go-carts and power tools, when properly muffled, between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. only.' The phrase 'weed blowers' is the closest term to leaf blowers in the code. Two conditions matter: the equipment must be properly muffled, and it must be used within the 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. window. Outside that window, the exemption disappears and the general decibel limits and 50-foot audibility test of Sec. 6-158(a) apply, so early-morning or late-night blower use can be a violation in a residential zone where the cap drops to 50 dBA after 10:00 p.m. Carmel does not distinguish electric from gas blowers, set a horsepower limit, or cap the number of blowers, so ordinary daytime maintenance is broadly permitted.
If a leaf blower is used outside 6:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. or is not properly muffled, it loses the exemption and can be cited as a noise infraction under Sec. 6-158(d), with fines from up to $250 (first offense) to up to $2,500 (fourth and subsequent). Sworn Carmel Metropolitan Police officers issue citations (Sec. 6-158(f)). Report problems to Carmel non-emergency police dispatch at 317-571-2580.
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