Raleigh, NC Noise Ordinances: Leaf Blower Rules (2026)

Section 12-5004(a) lists sources exempted from the general noise prohibitions in § 12-5003 and from the amplified-sound rules in §§ 12-5006, 12-5008, and 12-5009. Item (2) covers 'lawn care equipment and agricultural field equipment used during the daytime hours', a category that includes gas and electric leaf blowers, mowers, string trimmers, and similar landscaping tools. , local time, so the exemption is broad: landscapers and homeowners may run this equipment any day of the week, including weekends, throughout that 16-hour span without needing to meet the general reasonable-person noise test.

The exemption does not, however, apply around the clock. , lawn equipment falls back under the general prohibition in § 12-5003, which bars any plainly audible noise that unreasonably disturbs a reasonable person's comfort, repose, or peace. Section 12-5004(a)(19) also clarifies that these exceptions only reach §§ 12-5003, 12-5006, 12-5008, and 12-5009, they do not authorize any of the specifically Prohibited Noises listed in § 12-5007, so running equipment in a way that independently violates a § 12-5007 provision, such as disturbing a noise-sensitive area within 150 feet, is not shielded by the daytime exemption.