How early is too early for a leaf blower? In Miami-Dade, a push for quieter mornings

How early is too early to run a leaf blower?

For now, Miami-Dade County’s noise ordinance says it’s illegal to run a leaf blower before 7 a.m., a cutoff time that also applies to operating lawn mowers, chain saws, chippers and other “noise-producing tools.”

An update to the law set for a preliminary vote Tuesday by the County Commission would add an hour to that mandated morning respite and bar use of the noisy tools until 8 a.m.

Breaking the law would carry a punishment of up to a $500 fine and 60 days in jail. The restrictions on noisy equipment would still kick in at 8 p.m., and the proposed legislation by Commissioner Javier Souto would extend the end time by an extra hour into the morning.

The updated law would apply countywide, but cities are free to adopt stricter noise ordinances.

Souto’s proposal stops well short of the gas-powered leaf blower bans implemented by local governments in Miami-Dade and across the country. Those include a phased-in ban set to take effect later this year in Miami Beach, which established $250 fines for people using leaf blowers that aren’t electric powered. The city plans to issue warnings until enforcement kicks in fully in August 2023. Key Biscayne outlawed gas-powered leaf blowers in 2018.

If commissioners advance the proposal, it would be scheduled for a committee hearing and then face a final vote before the commission later this year.

This story was originally published March 14, 2022 at 4:00 PM.