A new law regulating the use of gas and electric leaf blowers was adopted by the Sag Harbor Village Board at a meeting on June 24.
According to the law, only leaf blowers with a decibel rating of 65 or lower are permitted. Professional landscapers are allowed to use them between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, but prohibited from using them on weekends and holidays. Use of the devices by homeowners is restricted to the same weekday hours, prohibited on Sundays and holidays, but permitted on Saturdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The mayor can remove the time limits to facilitate cleanup after a major storm.
Those found guilty of violating the law, which will go into effect after being filed with New York's secretary of state, will face a fine not exceeding $1,000, a jail sentence of no more than 15 days, or both. Owners and employees of a landscaping business, and homeowners who hire them, can be held responsible for a violation, the law says.
