A potential ban on gas-powered leaf blowers in Arlington is moving forward, with county staff preparing draft regulations for community and County Board consideration.
Board action as early as this summer could start the clock ticking on a multi-year phaseout period.
County staff are “on track” to bring potential ordinance changes to Board members in coming months, said Rhina Lara, a member of the county government’s Climate Policy Office.
While Lara did not specify the timing, procedural steps toward County Board consideration could potentially begin as soon as June, according to discussion at the May 19 meeting of the Park and Recreation Commission. There would need to be at least a one-month period between the request to advertise the ordinance and formal consideration of it.
A final vote would only come after a public hearing was conducted. Both could take place at the same meeting.
Board members have been receiving regular updates on the status of staff work on a potential ban, the last public one taking place in March.
“We are on the right track,” Board member Maureen Coffey said then.
At the time, elected officials seemed to gravitate toward a three-year period before a year-round ban on gas-power blowers would be fully implemented.
If enacted, the phase-in period would be twice the length of time in Alexandria, where the City Council in May 2025 gave residents and contractors 18 months to make the switch.
Although County Board members have discussed a three-year phased implementation, a number of advisory bodies are seeking a shorter period.
The Forestry and Natural Resources Commission has urged county leaders to phase in requirements over 18 months. At its May 19 meeting, the Park and Recreation Commission went on record supporting a 24-month timeline.
Alexandria’s ban on gas-powered blowers was the first among localities in the commonwealth, relying on a 2024 opinion by then-Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, that the city had the power under its charter to enact it.
Miyares’ opinion did not address whether Arlington and other Virginia jurisdictions have similar authority. County officials believe they do, based on existing noise-regulation powers.
Miyares’ 2024 opinion did not affect any jurisdictions outside Alexandria, but it expressed the general view that localities could use a noise-control ordinance to address leaf blowers, “so long as it is reasonable.”
Official opinions by Virginia’s attorney general carry weight but do not have the force of law. Members of the General Assembly thus far have chosen to stay out of the leaf-blower controversy.
During the 2026 legislative session, Del. Rip Sullivan (D-6) introduced legislation to give Virginia’s most densely populated localities, including Arlington, the power to regulate gas-powered leaf-blowers, and to assess civil penalties against those who fail to comply.
His bill was held over for consideration in the 2027 session, when it will return to the House Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns.
A similar measure patroned by Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim (D-37) was killed off in the Senate Committee on Local Government on an 11-4 vote during the 2026 session.
