Colonie, NY Noise Ordinances: Leaf Blower Rules (2026)

Unlike Westchester County towns such as New Castle and Larchmont that have banned gas-powered leaf blowers seasonally or outright, the Town of Colonie has not adopted a gas-blower ban or a decibel-rated blower-only limit. The operative provision is Section 135-4 of the Town Code (Prohibited Acts), which provides: 'No person shall cause or permit to be caused noise from power tools, lawn mowers, leaf blowers or agricultural equipment when operated on a residential property between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.' The ban applies year-round and to both homeowners and commercial landscapers. A separate, generally-applicable property-line standard at 65 dBA (residential/commercial) or 75 dBA (industrial) sits on top of the equipment ban during the same nighttime window. There is no minimum lot size or distance carveout. Gas backpack blowers typically measure 70-80 dBA at 50 feet, so daytime operation rarely violates the nighttime dBA standard, but pre-7 a.m. or post-10 p.m. operation on residential property is a strict-liability violation. The Building and Fire Services Department customarily treats 7:00 a.m. as the earliest start for outdoor power equipment. Exceptions under Section 135-5 cover government work and emergency activity but not routine private landscaping.