Gardena, CA Noise Ordinances: Leaf Blower Rules (2026)

Section 8.36.070(11)(a) groups leaf blowers with other mechanically powered domestic tools, saws, sanders, drills, and grinders, under a single nighttime rule: none of them may be operated between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. if the noise creates a disturbance across a residential or commercial property line. Outside that ten-hour window, the tool is still subject to the general exterior noise standards of § 8.36.040, which caps residential daytime noise at 55 dB(A) as a fifteen-minute average and 75 dB(A) at peak, so a blower loud enough to exceed those numbers can violate the chapter even at midday.

Subsection 11(b) separately requires that any motor, air conditioner, pump, or similar fixed equipment, such as pool equipment, be sufficiently enclosed or muffled to stay within the § 8.36.040 or § 8.36.050 standards, a rule that reaches gas-powered blower engines and compressors used on a property as well. The chapter does not create a separate gas-versus-electric distinction or a decibel rating specific to blowers; the operative limits are the time-of-day curfew in subsection 11(a) and the numeric zone standards in §§ 8.36.040 and 8.36.050. Landscapers and gardening crews working for hire remain bound by the same 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. restriction as a homeowner using a personal blower or trimmer.