City of Sarasota Code Sec. 20-4(a)(2)(j) prohibits operation of any mechanically powered saw, drill, grinder, lawn or garden tool - including leaf blowers - between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. weekdays, and 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. weekends and holidays, unless operating inside a completely enclosed structure.
Sarasota does not ban gas leaf blowers by fuel type, but Sec. 20-4(a)(2)(j) sets a strict time window for domestic power tools. Sec. 20-7(9) cross-confirms the exempt operating window - 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. weekdays and 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. weekends and holidays - provided the equipment runs with manufacturer's sound-reducing equipment in proper operating condition. Florida HB 1213 (2023) and HB 1281 have made the state preemption-friendly for small-engine landscaping equipment, so a fuel-type ban is unlikely at the local level. Commercial landscaping crews must still observe Sec. 20-5's general dBA caps at the property line.
Use outside the allowed window is a Sec. 20-4 violation - warning first under Sec. 20-8, then citation under Sec. 20-9 (up to $500 per offense under Sec. 1-11). Equipment running without functioning mufflers can also be cited regardless of time of day.
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