Evanston, IL Noise Ordinances: Leaf Blower Rules (2026)

Chapter 8-26, the "Leaf Blower Ordinance," phased out gas power over roughly eighteen months: Ordinance 116-O-21 first restricted gas blowers before the transition date, and Section 8-26-5 makes the ban absolute as of April 1, 2023, stating flatly that "the use of gasoline-powered or propane-powered leaf blowers is not permitted" after that date. Electric leaf blowers may run year-round with no seasonal cutoff, but the same section blocks a workaround: portable generators, whether stand-alone fuel-powered units or a vehicle engine, cannot be used to power an electric blower or recharge its battery.

Hours are separately capped by Section 8-26-6 regardless of power source: Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; and Sunday, a narrow midday window of 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Leaf blowers of any kind are off-limits entirely on recognized City holidays. Section 8-26-7 adds a separate, year-round rule that has nothing to do with hours: no blower of any type may be used to spray pesticide. Section 8-26-8 carves out three narrow exceptions from the whole chapter: athletic fields, the play areas of golf courses, and construction projects paving, repairing or patching public streets.

Section 8-26-9 splits enforcement in two. Homeowners and residents get an escalating fine ladder starting with a written warning. Landscaping companies face their own track: they must register with the City to operate an electric leaf blower, and once registered, a violation draws a written warning, then a one hundred fifty dollar fine, then two hundred fifty dollars for every offense after that, with each day of a continuing violation charged as a separate offense.