The San Mateo City Council passed an ordinance banning gas leaf blowers, moving in the footsteps of some other Peninsula cities such as Menlo Park and Burlingame.
The new policy will go into effect Jan. 1, 2027, giving the city time to conduct additional outreach and education to property owners and businesses.
San Mateo’s previous policy allowed older gas leaf blowers, though it still provided incentives for landscapers and property owners to switch to electric models. Since 2021, the city has provided about 100 rebates to businesses and residents, spending an average of $3,276 per year, according to an October 2025 staff report. Despite the push, a staff report said that “landscaping businesses identified battery life and equipment performance as the leading barriers to using electric equipment.”
The allowed hours of operation for the leaf blowers in residential areas and those bordering residential zones will remain as is – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and none allowed on Sundays and holidays
The city initially contemplated expanding the restricted hours citywide, though decided to keep the hours of operation in the current zones, so as not to negatively impact commercial zones.
“That would likely have an impact on commercial businesses and even city operations, where leaf blowers are used to clear debris from parking lots early in the morning, this is usually to avoid interference with businesses,” Sustainability Analyst Andrea Chow said during a City Council meeting March 2.
Once in effect, those violating the policy will likely receive warnings issued prior to a citation, which would start at $100 and go up to $500 per violation. Citations could be applied to both property owners and landscapers.
“I’m thrilled to see this coming to fruition,” Councilmember Lisa Diaz Nash said.
The council approved the new ordinance unanimously.
(650) 344-5200 ext. 102
Daily Journal staff
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(2) comments
I forget. What is the purpose of this nanny ordinance? We know this virtue-signaling ordinance won’t have any effect on global warming. But hey, as long as the San Mateo City Council’s virtue signaling remains intact, we can conveniently forget penalizing folks who use gas leaf blowers because they’ll now need to waste money on less efficient models. And the fossil fuels required in raw material mining for manufacturing batteries. And the bigger issue of hazardous waste disposal of spent batteries. I guess we can ship our hazardous waste to developing countries… Out of sight, out of mind. Please remember this nonsense during elections for San Mateo City Council and vote for candidates who want to accomplish something of substance.
Terence - Well said! This City Council is overly focused on minutia like leaf-blowers and historic policies, but can't be bothered to fix lights where pedestrians are being killed, nor advocate for the city residents in matters such as a Detox/Mentally Ill facility location.
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