Landscape pros sue New Jersey town for leaf blower ban

Above: Photo courtesy of © MCCAIG | iStockphoto

A ban that blocks landscapers and other businesses from using gas-powered leaf blowers in Maplewood, New Jersey, is going to court. The New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association and nine individual landscape companies filed a civil suit in October against Maplewood, its mayor and township committee, the NJ Advance Media reported. They claim the ban discriminates against the businesses, costing them excess money.

The leaf blower ban, which the town passed in April after residents complained a less-restrictive leaf blower rule was not being enforced, prohibits commercial landscapers from using gas-powered blowers during summer months, NJ Advance Media reported. The town’s lawmakers said the ban was meant to decrease noise and environmental pollution.

However, landscapers said this rule does not apply to everyone, as private residents, non-commercial associations and even the town’s own leaf cleaning crew can use gas-powered leaf blowers, according to the civil suit. The lawsuit calls the town’s policy “irrational” and “discriminatory.”

“Does (a homeowner’s) equipment cause less harm and noise than a contractor’s?” Nelson Lee, the New Jersey Landscape Contractor’s Association president said in an interview with NJ Advance Media. “It’s a discrimination factor.”

Read more about the civil suit filed in Maplewood, New Jersey, here.