If Rye resident and New York State Assemblyman Steve Otis has his way, local landscapers in and around Rye will have some financial assistance in their transition from gas to eletric leaf blowers. Current business owners who have a stock of gas leaf blowers in Rye are encouraged to exert patience before rushing to purchase an electric substitute, as upcoming state legislation may reduce the price by 70 percent.
A heated debate surrounding the future of gas-powered leaf blowers finally came to a resolution during the Rye City Council meeting from February 12, 2026. During a nearly four-hour meeting, city officials passed a vote that imposes a year-round ban on the controversial products.
“It’s time to rip off the Band-Aid and do the right thing and serve the people who elected us and give them the quality of life they deserve,” Mayor Josh Nathan argued during the meeting.
“When reasonable citizens disagree, that Council decided not to change the existing practice,” former mayor Ted Dunn said in an earlier letter, speaking on behalf of his own experience in office. Dunn believes the previous status quo, allowing gas blowers at certain times of the year, was not worth quibbling over.
In the end, Nathan’s plea worked, as a once-split governing body voted unanimously to ban gas blowers, regardless of the month.
The mandate does not go into effect until May 1, 2026. Local landscapers likely knew they could not use gas-powered blowers outside key seasonal clean-up periods, especially the fall period from October 1 through December 15. Therefore, there is time before they have to stock up on the proper equipment to avoid serious fines in the fall of 2026.
Proposed New York State legislation revolves around a statewide rebate program for commercial electric landscaping equipment, including batteries, with the current expectation being that the legislation may cut costs of electric devices by 70 percent.
“We do have legislation that would provide a rebate for businesses and institutions that buy all-electric lawn equipment,” State Assemblyman and Rye resident Steve Otis (NY-91) told MyRye.com. “It is really geared to help the small business person who’s in the landscaping business and wants or needs to move to all-electric equipment.”
The proposed bill reads as follows:
“Establishes the electric landscaping equipment rebate program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and reduce noise pollution by promoting the adoption of quieter, zero-emission landscaping equipment; provides for rebates at the point of sale for applicants purchasing or leasing certain equipment; provides for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof.”
Seemingly the only reason this bill is not in effect yet is due to time; it recently earned bipartisan support in the New York State Senate, but did not pass through the assembly before the session expired. Proponents for the law have since composed a letter to state Governor Kelly Hochul, urging her to consider including it in her 2026 budget.
“I never guarantee legislative action until it’s already happened,” Otis told MyRye.com. When asked if the legislation was trending in the right direction: “It certainly is.”
All this to say, current businesses who rely on gas-powered leaf blowers could save 70 percent by waiting until the state legislation officially passes. Landscapers will need to have a plan ahead of the fall clean up this year, so there is time to transition and take advantage of any State rebates that may be offered in the wake of new legislation.
As it relates to consumers looking to go electric, the best a homeowner can hope for is local legislation to pass similar to other municipalities in Westchester County. Next door, Mamaroneck has already instituted a $100 voucher for an electric machine if a gas-powered one is simultaneously traded in.
Electric leaf blowers are scientifically proven to reduce noise and air pollution in their communities, which has motivated local municipalities like Mamaroneck, Larchmont, White Plains, and others to institute a total ban on gas-powered blowers.
