Hawthorne bans portable leaf blowers citywide. Under its Noise Regulations (Ordinance No. 2138), it is unlawful to use any portable machine powered by a gasoline engine OR electric motor to blow leaves, dirt, and debris off sidewalks, driveways, lawns, and other surfaces. This is stricter than California's statewide rule, which targets only gas-powered equipment.
Hawthorne's re-enacted Noise Regulations chapter (Ordinance No. 2138) lists portable engine/motor-powered leaf blowers among the identified excessive noises declared unlawful. The text makes it unlawful for any person to use or operate within the City any portable machine, powered with a gasoline engine OR electric motor, to blow leaves, dirt, and other debris off sidewalks, driveways, lawns, and other surfaces. This is notably broader than California state law: the state's 2021 law (AB 1346) phases out the sale of new gas-powered small off-road engines (including gas leaf blowers and lawn mowers) but does not ban electric blowers. Hawthorne's ordinance reaches electric blowers as well, making it one of the stricter local bans in the South Bay. Because the rule is framed as a flat prohibition on the act of operating the equipment, it applies regardless of time of day. As an incorporated city, Hawthorne's ban governs within city limits rather than any Los Angeles County standard. The ordinance does not, in the text reviewed, carve out an exception for landscapers or commercial gardeners.
Operating a prohibited leaf blower is enforced under the Hawthorne Municipal Code penalty provisions through Code Enforcement and the Police Department. The broader Noise Regulations cost-recovery rule allows billing for repeat police responses to noise disturbances, up to $1,500 per subsequent response.
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