Unincorporated San Diego County has no leaf-blower-specific ordinance. Leaf blowers fall under the County's general sound-level limits (Sec. 36.404) and the routine-maintenance exemption (Sec. 36.417(b)(1)). Statewide, California AB 1346 and the CARB Small Off-Road Engine rule ban the SALE of new gas-powered blowers from model year 2024, but using existing equipment is still legal.
The County's Noise Abatement and Control ordinance (Chapter 4) does not name leaf blowers or set any blower-specific day or hour rule. Instead, leaf blowers are governed by the general one-hour average sound level limits in Section 36.404 (e.g., 50 dBA day / 45 dBA night in standard residential zones). Critically, Section 36.417(b)(1) exempts noise from 'routine property maintenance' on residential property from the Section 36.404 limits, provided the activity takes place between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. on any day except Sunday, or between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Sunday - which is the practical window for residential leaf-blower use. The general 'disturbing, excessive or offensive noise' prohibition in Section 36.414 still applies regardless of the exemption. At the state level, California AB 1346 (Berman, 2021), codified as Health and Safety Code Section 43018.11, directed the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to prohibit emissions from new small off-road engines (SORE, generally under 25 horsepower). CARB's regulation applies to engines produced on or after January 1, 2024, effectively ending sales of new gas-powered leaf blowers, mowers, and trimmers in California. CARB-compliant equipment already owned may still be operated and resold; the rule is enforced against manufacturers/dealers, not homeowners.
There is no County leaf-blower fine schedule. A leaf blower run outside the routine-maintenance window (before 7 a.m. or after 8 p.m., or before 10 a.m. on Sunday) loses the Section 36.417(b)(1) exemption and can be cited under Section 36.404, and at any time can be a 'disturbing, excessive or offensive noise' under Section 36.414, abatable as a public nuisance (Sec. 36.419). The state SORE sales ban is enforced by CARB at the manufacturer/dealer level.
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