Springdale, AR Noise Ordinances: Leaf Blower Rules (2026)

Unlike several California and East Coast cities that have adopted gas-leaf-blower bans, Springdale's Chapter 42 Article III makes no distinction between yard equipment and other sound sources. There is no equipment list mirroring (for example) Colonie NY's Section 135-4 ban on 'power tools, lawn mowers, leaf blowers or agricultural equipment' between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. on residential property. Instead, Springdale enforces leaf blowers and mowers through three generally-applicable tools: (1) the property-line dBA caps in Section 42-54 Table 1 - 65 dBA in residential zones from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and 60 dBA from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.; (2) the noise-disturbance definition in Section 42-51, which reaches sound that 'annoys or disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivities' at any hour; and (3) Section 42-52's general prohibition on creating any noise disturbance. Gas backpack blowers typically register 70-80 dBA at 50 feet, so a blower operated within a few feet of a residential property line at 6:30 a.m. routinely breaks the 60 dBA nighttime cap. Commercial landscapers and homeowners alike are citable. Northwest Arkansas does not have a regional gas-blower ban. Federal preemption: small engines must meet EPA Phase 2/Phase 3 noise and emissions standards under 40 CFR Part 90, but EPA does not preempt local time-of-day rules.