El Monte does not have a stand-alone leaf-blower ordinance; gas blowers must meet the §8.36.040 property-line dBA limits, and under California AB 1346 / CARB regulations new gas-powered small off-road engines have been banned from sale statewide since January 1, 2024.
Chapter 8.36 of the El Monte Municipal Code contains no provision singling out leaf blowers by name. Instead, §8.36.050(B) treats 'any machinery, equipment, pump, fan, air conditioning apparatus, refrigerating equipment, motor vehicle, or other mechanical or electrical device' that exceeds the §8.36.040(A) property-line ambient standards as a violation. That means a gas leaf blower used in a single-family zone must keep noise at the neighbor's property line at or below 50 dBA daytime / 45 dBA nighttime — a limit gas blowers commonly exceed near the source. At the state level, California Assembly Bill 1346 (Berman, 2021), codified at Health & Safety Code §43018.11, directed the California Air Resources Board to prohibit the sale of new small off-road engines (SORE), which include most gas leaf blowers, mowers, and trimmers. CARB's implementing rule took effect January 1, 2024, banning the sale (but not the use) of new gas SORE equipment statewide. There is no separate El Monte permit, registration, or rebate program tied to leaf blowers in the municipal code.
A leaf blower that pushes property-line noise above the §8.36.040 standards is a Chapter 8.36 misdemeanor under §8.36.110(B) — up to $500 and/or 6 months in jail per day. AB 1346 / CARB violations are enforced at the state level against sellers, not against homeowners using equipment they already own.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
El Monte, CA
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