About QCW
Quiet Clean Winchester
We are Winchester residents, elected officials, faith communities, environmental advocacy groups, and Winchester-based businesses working for a quieter, cleaner town by supporting residents, property managers, and commercial landscapers in a transition to quiet clean electric lawn care through education, incentives, and legislation.
Gas Leaf Blower Bylaw Activity in Eastern Mass.
Many of Winchester’s neighboring communities already have bylaws in place that restrict the use of gas leaf blowers including Lincoln, Lexington, Arlington, Belmont, Brookline, Cambridge and Newton.
In fact, Lexington, Arlington and Belmont now have not only seasonal limits on gas leaf blowers, they have also set the date for the phase out of all gas leaf blowers in town. These dates are March 15, 2025, for landscapers and March 15, 2026, for residents.
Many other towns are actively working on town bylaws including Medford, Reading, Wellesley and the City of Boston. In fact, three of the five towns that border Winchester have already restricted gas leaf blowers or are working on bylaws to do so.
Overview of
Winchester Leaf Blower Bylaw
The Leaf Blower Bylaw was debated at 2022 Fall Town Meeting. Town Meeting voted on Nov. 18 for indefinite postponement. This postponement allows landscapers, Quiet Clean Winchester and other stakeholders to engage in additional discussion regarding the adoption of electric leaf blowers and the shape of the bylaw. The resulting revised bylaw will be brought to Fall 2023 Town Meeting.
The bylaw debated at Town Meeting specified:
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ELBs - Allowed by all users year-round: on Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. as allowed by state law
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GLBs – Allowed by all users during Shoulder Seasons, defined as April 1-May 15 and Oct. 1-Dec. 15 , on Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. as allowed by state law.
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Registration for Commercial Leaf Blower Operators - Annual registration required for a low fee
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Enforcement - Police department; Two warnings issued first then fines.
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Application - Applies to town residents, commercial leaf blower operators, and DPW municipal employees / contractors
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Effective date - June 1, 2023
The bylaw was Article 6 in the Fall 2022 Town Meeting Motion book, here.