Reviewing Rye's Leaf Blower Laws

The beautiful fall foliage season is rapidly giving way in Rye to the noisy leaf blower complaint season.

Though most dying leaves are still clinging to trees, authorities in the past week have responded to three complaints of violations of the city’s leaf blower policy, according to a runsheet of calls at the Rye Police Department:

• On Nov. 7 at 9:43 a.m., a call came in about a violation on Overdale Road;
• On Nov. 10 at 10:44 a.m.,  several calls came in reporting excessive leaf blower use in the area of Normal Drive (police say parties using the equipment were packing it in by the time they arrived shortly thereafter);
• And on Nov. 12 at 10 a.m., a warning was issued on Overdale Road following a complaint of leaf blower use.

The city’s policy, and an interactive map (both attached as a PDF file)—contained mostly in Chapter 133 “Noise” of the city code—states, in part, that from Oct. 1 to April 30, leaf blowers may be used but that more than one leaf blower cannot be operated at the same time on the same lot (the R-1 residence district is an exception—see map).

Leaf blowers also may not be operated from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. on weekdays or between 6 p.m. and 10 a.m. on weekends and holidays, according to the city code.