West Orange Leaf Blower Ban Voted Down – For Now

WEST ORANGE, NJ — It’s back to the drawing board for a proposed leaf blower ban in West Orange.

The West Orange Township Council voted unanimously against an ordinance that would have created a “seasonal” ban on gas-powered leaf blowers at their meeting last week. However, there are plans to circle back on the issue with another possible ordinance in the future … although it may take years before it crosses the finish line.

Under the proposed local law, gas-powered blowers would have only been allowed from March 1 to April 30, and from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31. Permitted hours would have been from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Prior to the council’s vote, Asmeret Ghebremicael said that there wasn’t majority support for the ordinance as written. One reason? It may set the town up for a possible lawsuit – as seen in Maplewood and Montclair.

“We want to be fair, we want to work with everyone,” Ghebremicael said, adding that the plan is to revisit the issue with an eye to a possible ban in 2026.

Supporters of the bans claim that they make for a cleaner environment and less noise pollution, in addition to protecting landscaping workers from inhaling particulates. But critics argue that leaf blower bans place an unfair burden on private landscaping companies, who may raise their prices to cope with the additional expenses.

The debate raged on during last week’s council meeting, with several people speaking for and against the ban during public comment (watch the video below).

Other towns in Essex County that have rolled out bans on leaf blowers include Maplewood and Montclair.

Montclair's ordinance includes a provision allowing electric blowers. However, both towns have faced lawsuits from angry landscapers, who have argued that the bans are an unfair burden on their businesses.

• See Related: Maplewood Sued Over Its Leaf Blower Ban
• See Related: Landscapers Sue Montclair Over Controversial Leaf Blower Ban
• See Related: Montclair Leaf Blower Ban May Have Ripple Effect In West Orange

Watch the video of the Oct. 10 meeting below.

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