New Canaan panel revises gas leaf blower ordinance timeline

Town Council · Meeting of May 5, 2026

New Canaan panel advances revised gas leaf blower ordinance, keeps electric blowers unrestricted. The Town Council's Bylaws and Ordinances Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to redefine the ordinance's "summer season" as running from the Saturday before Memorial Day through Labor Day, after hearing nearly two hours of public comment from residents including John Seal and Skip Hobbs, who opposed exempting large lots. Member Kim Norton lost a 4-1 vote to restore time-of-day limits on electric leaf blowers, arguing noise doesn't discriminate by fuel type and citing 270 emails the committee received on the issue.

Committee member Eric Brennan countered that restricting electric blowers would undercut the ordinance's goal, asking "why on earth would we then restrict their ability to use the very alternative we are recommending they adopt?" The measure now heads to the full Town Council for a public hearing expected around May 20.

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Source: the Town Council meeting of May 5, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

NEW CANAAN — May 5, 2026 — The Town Council's Bylaws and Ordinances Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to change when its proposed restrictions on gas-powered leaf blowers would take effect each year, moving the ordinance's "summer season" window to begin the Saturday before Memorial Day rather than on the holiday itself.

The vote came after nearly two hours of public comment from more than a dozen residents on a measure that has been debated in New Canaan for roughly five years. The committee also rejected, 4-1, a bid by member Kim Norton to restore time-of-day limits on electric leaf blowers that had been stripped from the draft at the full Town Council's April 22 meeting.

The Full Story

Committee chair Hillary Armond opened the meeting by noting the panel was reviewing changes that emerged from the full Town Council's most recent hearing on the ordinance, which targets gas-powered leaf blowers specifically, not electric models. Members present were Armond, Eric Brennan, Kim Norton, Mike Rogers and Christina Ross; members Jen Zonas, Heather Russell and Maria Norton were absent, though Zonas and Russell were expected to join later.

Public comment ran long and covered familiar ground. Residents including John Seal of 5 Maple Street and Skip Hobbs of 181 Merion Road urged the committee not to exempt large residential lots from the restrictions, arguing noise carries regardless of property size. Others, including a Zoom caller who identified herself as Lily Kong of Fountain Lane, raised concerns about the cost burden on landscaping businesses, saying replacement batteries for electric blowers run $300 to $600 each. Resident Marty McKay said gas-powered blowers harm bird habitat, citing the roughly $500,000 the town spent restoring the Bristow Bird Sanctuary.

The committee's most substantive change was to the ordinance's definition of "summer season," extending it to start the Saturday immediately before Memorial Day through Labor Day, an edit proposed by Brennan to ensure the full holiday weekend is covered. The amendment passed unanimously. Members also debated, but ultimately did not add, a specific time cap on the ordinance's exemption allowing single, incidental use of a gas blower on hard surfaces like decks and driveways; Norton raised the idea but declined to force a vote, saying she did not want the rule "pitting neighbor against neighbor."

The sharper divide came over electric leaf blowers. Norton argued the committee should restore hourly restrictions on electric blowers that were removed from the draft, saying noise complaints don't distinguish between fuel types and citing roughly 270 emails the committee received, with about 40 residents writing more than once. Brennan countered that restricting electric blowers undercuts the ordinance's goal of pushing residents and landscapers away from gas models. The committee voted 4-1 to leave the draft as is, with Rogers, Brennan, Armond and Ross opposed and Norton in favor.

"Why on earth would we then restrict their ability to use the very alternative we are recommending they adopt?" [HH:MM:SS] — Eric Brennan, committee member

"I just want to go on record as saying that I'm in support of keeping the section that was deleted." [HH:MM:SS] — Kim Norton, committee member

"This is not like changing a constitution. This is a bylaw. We can learn from experience through the summer, and we can go back to it next year." [HH:MM:SS] — Robin Bryer, resident, public comment

The committee also began an initial review of proposed changes to the broader town code flagged by the Charter Review Commission, including a 1964-era personnel ordinance that Human Resources Director Cheryl Jones has asked to be reconciled with the town's employee handbook. Members said they expect to hear a presentation from a Charter Review Commission representative, Kathleen, and plan to divide the town code review among subgroups starting in June.

Why It Matters

The gas-powered leaf blower ordinance does not become final at this meeting. It now returns to the full Town Council, which is expected to hold a public hearing around its May 20 meeting before a final vote. If approved without amendment, the restrictions would take effect roughly eight days after publication, likely around June 3 this year, with future years reverting to the Saturday-before-Memorial-Day start date approved Tuesday. The measure would leave the town's existing noise ordinance hours in place for electric blowers while adding new limits specific to gas-powered equipment.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Amend the ordinance's "summer season" definition to run from the Saturday immediately prior to Memorial Day through Labor Day Tally: Approved unanimously

• Action: Proposal to add a specific time limit to the single-use, hard-surface exemption for gas-powered leaf blowers — Not adopted; no formal vote taken after Kim Norton declined to press the issue

- Vote: Restore time-of-day restrictions on electric leaf blowers Tally: For: 1, Against: 4, Abstain: 0, Total: 5

- Vote: Motion to adjourn Tally: Approved unanimously

Source

Town Of New Canaan: Town Council Bylaws and Ordinances Committee meeting, May 5, 2026