Columbia County, FL Noise Ordinances: Leaf Blower Rules (2026)

Columbia County restricts noisy blowers and small engines through Sec. 74-105(n), one of the per se violations listed in the county's Article V noise-control chapter, adopted by Ord. No. 2020-07 on August 6, 2020. The subsection reaches the operation, in a residential or noise-sensitive area, of any noise-creating blower, power fan, or internal combustion engine whose noise comes from the explosion of operating gases or fluids, so it covers gas-powered leaf blowers and similarly powered lawn and garden equipment. The restricted window runs from 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., an hour later at night than the county's general construction-noise cutoff in Sec.

74-105(l), reflecting that yard equipment is common daytime and early-evening activity. To violate the subsection, the noise must be unreasonably loud and raucous and audible across the property line of the parcel where it originates, tying the rule to the same reasonable-person standard Sec. 74-104(b) uses for the ordinance generally, including proximity to sleeping areas and duration of the sound. The Columbia County Sheriff's Office is the enforcing agency under Sec. 74-108, and it may pursue voluntary compliance through a warning before issuing a citation for a nighttime blower complaint.

A confirmed violation of Sec. 74-105(n) is a civil infraction under Sec. 74-109(a), punishable by a fine of up to $500.00, and Sec. 74-109(b) allows each night the noise recurs to be charged as its own separate offense. As with the rest of Article V, Sec. 74-102 confines the rule to unincorporated Columbia County outside the City of Lake City's limits.