This will be the first jurisdiction in Virginia to enact a gas leaf blower ban. It starts on Nov 17th, 2026.
Alexandria City’s current website page on its gas leaf blower ban – FAQs, enforcement, fines, other options
City of Alexandria website: noise control, Aug 2025
The City staff explored incentives for small businesses to help minimize disruptions and support compliance with the new regulations. The City has allocated $75,000 in the approved FY 2026 Budget to fund the transition for City departments.
Background: At the Jan 28th legislative meeting of 2025, City staff advised Council to pursue an outright ban on gas powered leaf blowers (GPLB). They advised that GPLB are the leading cause of noise complaints in the City. They noted that anything other than a ban would be too difficult to enforce. They noted that GPLB are about 10dB louder than electric blowers.
On March 13th and 26th of 2025, City of Alexandria hosted informational sessions on possible leaf blower regulation. At each event, City staff gave a presentation on an overview of the proposed regulation, its anticipated impact, and proposed timeline for implementation, and answered questions about what residents can expect.
Over the last 2 years, the City Council, citing the Dillon Rule, had refused to take any measures to address the problem of gas leaf blowers. Then in the summer of 2024, the group asked Delegate Bennett-Parker to ask Virginia’s Attorney General Jason Miyares his opinion on whether Alexandria City could, via its noise ordinances, ban or restrict the use of gas leaf blowers. Miyares’ opinion was that the Alexandria City Charter does in fact give this authority to the Council.