New Canaan panel delays vote on leaf blower ordinance
Town Council · Meeting of January 29, 2026
New Canaan committee stalls on gas leaf blower ban, eyes February vote. The Town Council's Bylaws and Ordinances Committee, chaired by Hillary Ormand, spent over two hours reviewing a draft ordinance that would prohibit gas-powered leaf blowers from Memorial Day to Labor Day, with exceptions for emergencies, storm cleanup and single residential use on hard surfaces. Member Eric Tunham called the measure a "three-month total ban" and said he would oppose it before the full council, citing what he called support from "less than 1%" of residents.
Members Kim Norton and Maria Nton backed the draft as a workable compromise short of the outright, year-round bans some other towns have adopted. Absent member Jennifer Zonus submitted written comments supporting the draft. No vote was taken on the ordinance; the panel aims to finalize language before the town's spring budget season and bring a version to the full 12-member council in February, with a proposed May 25, 2026 effective date.
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Source: the Town Council meeting of January 29, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
The Full Article
NEW CANAAN — January 29, 2026 — The Town Council's Bylaws and Ordinances Committee spent more than two hours Thursday working through a draft ordinance restricting gas-powered leaf blowers, but stopped short of sending the measure to the full council after members split over how far the restrictions should go.
Committee Chair Hillary Ormand led the session, which drew one resident speaker and repeated disagreement among the panel's members over whether to ban gas-powered leaf blowers outright during the summer, with exceptions, or to instead set hourly restrictions on both gas and electric models. The committee took no vote on the ordinance itself, opting to gather written suggestions and reconvene before bringing a version to the full 12-member Town Council in February.
The Full Story
The draft ordinance, first developed by an earlier version of the committee and revived for further edits Thursday, would prohibit gas-powered leaf blowers within New Canaan during the "summer season," defined as the period from Memorial Day to Labor Day. It would also restrict electric leaf blower use during that period to specific hours: weekdays before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m., weekends before noon and after 4 p.m., and all day on federal and state holidays. Exceptions would apply for emergencies, storm or snow cleanup, town Department of Public Works and utility crews clearing debris affecting essential services, and single leaf blower use by residents on hard surfaces such as driveways or decks.
Member Eric Tunham objected to the draft as written, arguing the ordinance amounts to a three-month ban on gas-powered leaf blowers rather than a true restriction, and said he would not support it before the full council. He said he had heard from "less than 1%" of residents pushing for a ban and argued electric leaf blowers should face no restrictions at all, while gas-powered blowers should only see limited hourly restrictions similar to those proposed for electric models.
Members Kim Norton and Maria Nton spoke in favor of the draft as a compromise. Norton noted the ordinance stops short of the total, year-round bans adopted by some other municipalities, and said she felt the committee had heard enough differing opinions to move forward. Nton pointed to a prior Town Council presentation on the health effects of gas-powered leaf blower exhaust and fine particulates as reason to keep the ordinance's language addressing harmful effects.
Member Mike Rogers raised concerns about enforceability and unintended costs, including on landscaping crews and private clubs that would need to switch equipment, and asked whether local country clubs and the field club would be covered. Member Christina Ross questioned whether the restriction period should extend past Labor Day into late September, when more leaves typically fall, though Ormand said she preferred keeping the traditional Memorial Day-to-Labor Day frame for consistency, noting the ordinance could be amended later if needed.
The committee also debated who would enforce the ordinance and how, discussing options including a "designated officer" appointed by the first selectman, the town's existing blight officer, or the police department, along with a possible grace period of warning letters before fines apply. Under the draft, penalties would be assessed against property owners, not landscaping companies, using standard fine language drawn from the town's existing noise ordinance.
Member Jennifer Zonus, who was absent, submitted written comments read into the record by Ormand supporting the draft as written and citing prior comments from Robin Bates Mason, referenced in connection with the town's plastic bag ban, that adopting an ordinance can build community buy-in over time even without full initial compliance.
Resident Lars Anderson of 351 Springwater Lane was the only public speaker, urging the committee to act.
"I think there's a lot of positive movement towards some sort of restriction or ban and I hope, looking forward to seeing what you came up with," Anderson said, in remarks made before the section-by-section review began.
Tunham repeated his opposition to a summer-long prohibition later in the meeting.
"We are not talking about a restriction on gas-powered leaf blowers here. We are talking about a three-month total ban on gas-powered leaf blowers," Tunham said.
Ormand defended moving forward despite lingering disagreement.
"I don't want to let perfect be the enemy of good," Ormand said.
Why It Matters
The committee has debated leaf blower restrictions since 2021, and Ormand said residents have raised the issue every year as warmer weather returns. The panel is trying to finalize language before the town's budget season occupies the council's attention in March and April, which members said could push any ordinance past the coming summer. A proposed effective date of May 25, 2026, matching Memorial Day, would need council approval before that deadline to take effect this year. The committee also decided not to publicly post the draft yet, worried it could appear final, and instead plans to add a public comment period to its next agenda.
Key Motions & Votes
- Action: Formal vote on the draft leaf blower ordinance deferred — Continued to a future Bylaws and Ordinances Committee meeting, expected before the full Town Council's February 25 meeting. - Vote: Motion to adjourn Tally: Approved unanimously
Source
Town Of New Canaan: Town Council Bylaws and Ordinances Committee meeting, January 29, 2026