Town Meeting members voted Monday night to amend the town’s leaf blower bylaw in an attempt to increase enforcement and accountability among local contractors.
The bylaw amendment was one of three articles considered by members during a special Town Meeting on May 18. Annual Town Meeting was briefly adjourned to allow for debate and voting.
The amendment aimed to increase the incentive for landscapers to comply with the leaf blower bylaw, which went into effect in February 2023. The bylaw was written to be phased in over time to bring Belmont in line with other communities in Massachusetts that have placed restrictions or bans on combustion-powered leaf blowers.
Combustion-powered leaf blowers are completely prohibited in Belmont, as of Jan. 1, 2026. Electric leaf blowers are still allowed, but there are limits on how many can be used at one time on a property.
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For a first offense in a calendar year, a warning letter is mailed to the property owner. Second offenses carry a $100 fine, paid by the property owner; third offenses and each additional offense carry a $300 fine, also paid by the property owner.
The amendment, according to Select Board Chair Matt Taylor, was designed to “close a loophole” that would have allowed companies to remain on a publicly available list of providers who have committed to comply with the bylaw, despite using combustion-powered leaf blowers. In the original language, a company would have had to violate the bylaw at the same property more than once to risk having its name removed from the list.
Belmont’s bylaw relies on voluntary compliance, not police enforcement, according to Taylor.
“I do think it makes sense to try to close this loophole, so that we are essentially trying to create an even playing field,” said Precinct 6 member Erin Rowland.
Under the amended bylaw, the threshold to have a name removed from the list is lowered. A service provider removed from the list may reapply for inclusion after three months have elapsed since removal.
“We are trying to add an additional nudge here by having a lower threshold for removing companies from the list to both support the companies that are voluntarily complying and to remove any confusion,” Taylor added.
Members advocated for increased enforcement, though some raised concerns about potential division and neighbor disagreements over reporting incidents of bylaw infringements.
“I’m not comfortable with fining a homeowner based on another homeowner’s complaint, because as much as we all like to get along, not everybody does,” said Precinct 1 member Corinne McCue Olmsted.
Town Meeting members voted 217-15-6 to adopt the amendment.
