What can cities and states do to address leaf blowers and other gas-powered lawn equipment?

Incentives can come in the form of tax credits, point-of-sale discounts, vouchers, rebates or more. To achieve the maximum pollution reduction benefits, programs should incentivize or require scrapping/recycling of old gas equipment. 

In addition, providing opportunities for education, training and technical support to commercial landscapers can help meet their particular needs when transitioning to electric equipment.

Examples include:

• In Colorado, direct point-of-sale discounts of 30% are offered at participating retailers statewide for the purchase of electric lawn equipment. A point-of-sale discount means consumers see the savings immediately on the price of the equipment, as opposed to having to file any paperwork down the line. In exchange for offering a 30% discount, approved retailers will receive a 33% tax credit from the state. This program was established by a state law and went into effect on Jan. 1, 2024.
• Mass Save, the energy efficiency program serving Massachusetts’ investor-owned utilities, provides incentives of $30-$3,500 for the purchase of electric lawn equipment, depending on the type of equipment and whether the customer is a residential or commercial user. 
• Utility companies such as Xcel in Minnesota, Lansing Board of Power & Light in Michigan and Utah Municipal Power Agency offer rebates to their customers for the purchase of electric lawn equipment. 
• In Louisville, Kentucky, the Air Pollution Control District offers rebates to residents of Jefferson County for the purchase of electric or manual lawn equipment, as well as grants of electric equipment to local organizations.
• Many rural electric cooperatives across the country such as Big Horn Rural Electric Company in Wyoming, Nebraska Public Power District and the South Central Indiana Rural Electric Membership Corporation – just to name a few – offer their members generous rebates for the purchase of electric lawn equipment. 
• Colorado Regional Air Quality Council’s Mow Down Pollution program has a commercial lawn care company grant program. In the past, the program also awarded grants of up to $100,000 to local governments making the switch to electric as well as residential vouchers for the purchase of electric lawn equipment.
• In the past, Boulder County, Colorado, has offered grants, training and support to professional landscape companies for up to 80% of the purchase price of electric lawn and landscaping equipment, up to $30,000.
• The IRS can clarify whether large electric riding mowers are eligible for electric vehicle tax credits of up to $7,500.

School districts, HOAs, colleges and universities, medical campuses, golf courses and local and state governments can commit to not buying any new gas-powered lawn and garden equipment. Institutions can go a step further and prohibit the use of gas-powered lawn care equipment on their property, thereby enjoying immediate benefits from reduced pollution and noise.

Examples include:

• In Colorado, the use of gas-powered push mowers and handheld equipment like leaf blowers will no longer be allowed on state government property plus all public property in the Denver Metro/North Front Range region each summer starting in 2025.
• The city of Charleston, SC, is leading by example and has transitioned the city’s fleet of gas-powered leaf blowers to electric and manual tools.
• Working with the American Green Zone Alliance (AGZA), the city of South Pasadena, CA, transitioned its maintenance operations to electric equipment.
• New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation has committed to transitioning its lawn maintenance equipment to zero emission models. 
• Federal government agencies such as the National Park Service could cut pollution and noise at some of our nation’s most iconic places by phasing out the use of gas-powered lawn care equipment.

If air pollution is worse during a certain season in your region, consider prohibiting the use of gas-powered lawn equipment during that time, or when the use of that equipment is especially unnecessary.

Examples include:

• In Winnetka, IL, the use of gas-powered leaf blowers is prohibited except during the months of April, October, and November each year.
• In Morristown, NJ, the use of gas-powered leaf blowers is prohibited from January 1 to September 30 each year.

Any new gas-powered lawn mowers and leaf blowers purchased now could still be in use for decades, so local and state governments can stop the sale of new gas-powered equipment in their jurisdictions.

Examples include:

• Montgomery County, MD, has banned the sale of new gas-powered leaf blowers (their use will be prohibited starting in July 2025), and offers residents and landscaping businesses rebates for the purchase of electric equipment.
• Honolulu, HI, has banned the sale of new gas-powered leaf blowers.
• Washington, DC, has banned the sale (and use) of gas-powered leaf blowers.
• The state of California has banned the sale of all new gas-powered lawn equipment. Several California rebate and grant programs are available for the purchase of electric lawn tools, and the state previously ran generous discount voucher programs for lawn care businesses to transition to electric.

A reasonable phase-in timeline can give residents, lawn care companies and government agencies time to adjust while also prioritizing cutting harmful pollution and noise as quickly as possible. Governments phasing out gasoline-powered lawn equipment can provide support as the community transitions to clean electric equipment.

Examples include:

• In Baltimore, MD, a newly-passed ordinance would only allow the use of gas-powered leaf blowers between October 15 and December 15, and starting at the end of 2026, fully prohibit the use of gas-powered leaf blowers.
• In Fairfax, CA, it is against the law to use gas-powered leaf blowers, string trimmers, hedge trimmers, edgers, pole saws, chainsaws and mowers.