St. Martin Parish, LA Noise Ordinances: Leaf Blower Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential ban
- 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
- Equipment standard
- Muffler on all motorized equipment
- Commercial or industrial distance
- Within 250 feet of a residential property line
- Commercial weekday window
- 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Commercial weekend or holiday window
- 10:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m.
- Penalty
- $100.00 to $500.00, up to 30 days, or both
Summary
In unincorporated St. Martin Parish, power tools and landscaping and yard maintenance equipment cannot be operated on residential property between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., and all motorized equipment must run with a muffler. Commercial and industrial property has a separate 250 foot rule. A violation brings $100.00 to $500.00, up to 30 days in jail, or both.
(1)Power tools and landscaping and yard maintenance equipment shall not be operated on residential property between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Moreover, all motorized equipment used in these activities shall be operated with a muffler. During the permissible hours of operation as established herein, the operation of power tools and landscaping and yard maintenance equipment on residential property shall not be subject to the provisions of section 26-37. (2)Power tools and landscaping and yard maintenance equipment, excluding emergency work, shall not be operated within 250 feet of a residential property line when operated on commercial or industrial property, between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. on weekdays, or between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. on weekends or federal holidays, unless such activities can meet the limits set forth in section 26-37(a). ... Whoever violates the terms and provisions of this article shall be fined not less than $100.00, nor more than $500.00, imprisoned for not more than 30 days, or both.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 26-39(1) sets the hours for leaf blowers, mowers, trimmers and other landscaping and yard maintenance equipment on residential property in unincorporated St. Martin Parish. The code never uses the words leaf blower; the rule reaches them as power tools and landscaping and yard maintenance equipment. That equipment shall not be operated on residential property between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., and all motorized equipment used in these activities shall be operated with a muffler. The muffler requirement is the only equipment standard in the section: it draws no line between gas and electric machines and sets no decibel rating for a blower.
During the permissible hours of operation, the equipment on residential property is not subject to the Sec. 26-37 sound level limits. A 7:00 a.m. start sits outside the barred window and is governed by the muffler rule alone.
Commercial and industrial property gets a stricter, distance-based version in Sec. 26-39(2). Excluding emergency work, power tools and landscaping and yard maintenance equipment shall not be operated within 250 feet of a residential property line when operated on commercial or industrial property, between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. on weekdays, or between 10:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. on weekends or federal holidays, unless the activity can meet the limits in Sec. 26-37(a). Between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. equipment on commercial or industrial property shall meet those limits regardless, and at all other times the Sec. 26-37(a) limits do not apply to it. Sec. 26-34 defines a weekday as Sunday at 8:00 p.m. through Friday at 6:00 p.m. and a weekend as Friday at 6:00 p.m. through Sunday at 8:00 p.m.
The article covers sound from or received by property in the unincorporated areas of St. Martin Parish under Sec. 26-36.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 26-40 sets the penalty for the noise article, including both yard equipment rules: a fine of not less than $100.00 and not more than $500.00, imprisonment for not more than 30 days, or both. The same range applies to a missing muffler as to running equipment inside the barred hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run a leaf blower at 7:00 a.m. on residential property in unincorporated St. Martin Parish?
Do landscaping crews on commercial property follow the same hours?
Does the parish ban gas-powered leaf blowers?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Martin Parish
Compare St. Martin Parish to another location·View the Louisiana noise ordinances overview
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