UPDATED 10/9
At a public meeting of the Village of River Forest Sustainability Commission on Tuesday, October 8, 2024,the Commission voted to recommend the following to the Village Board for consideration.
3-3-5: LAWN MAINTENANCE/LANDSCAPING:
- Definitions: For the purpose of this section, certain words and phrases are defined as follows:
LAWN MAINTENANCE CONTRACTOR: any person who makes a business of mowing, trimming, raking or fertilizing lawns, or other landscape work, and who employs two or more persons in the business, and shall include a landscape contractor.
ELECTRIC LEAF BLOWER: A leaf blower which is powered by an electric motor.
GAS-POWERED LEAFBLOWER: A leaf blower which is powered by gasoline or propane, including an electric leaf blower powered by stand-alone fossil fuel powered generators or generators powered by vehicle engines.
- Removal Of Wastes: Any person conducting the business of lawn maintenance shall, upon completion of each job, remove and legally dispose off site all clippings, trimmings or other yard refuse and materials or shall ensure that the materials are properly bagged, tagged, and placed for collection by the Village's waste disposal contractor or otherwise removed and disposed of in accordance with all applicable Federal, State and local environmental laws, rules and regulations. Such yard refuse shall not be allowed to accumulate on site nor shall it be placed on vacant lots, streets or alleys.
- Beginning January 1, 2025, a lawn maintenance contractor who commits to using only electric leaf blowers between June 1 and October 1 of that calendar year shall receive a reimbursement of one hundred twenty-five dollars for the fees set forth in section 3-3-2. A lawn maintenance contractor who makes said commitment and is found to be using a gas-powered leaf blower between June 1 and October 1, 2025, shall be fined two hundred fifty dollars per instance.
- Beginning January 1, 2026 and for each subsequent year thereafter, a lawn maintenance contractor who commits to using only electric leaf blowers year-round shall receive a reimbursement of one hundred twenty-five dollars for the fees set forth in section 3-3-2. A lawn maintenance contractor who makes said commitment and is found to be using a gas-powered leaf blower shall be fined two hundred fifty dollars per instance.
NEW SECTION:
LEAF BLOWER USE:
- For the purposes of this section, the term “gas-powered leaf blower” shall mean: A leaf blower that is powered by gasoline or propane, including an electric leaf blower powered by stand-alone fossil fuel powered generators or generators powered by vehicle engines.
- Gas-powered leaf blower shall only be permitted to be operated at half speed in the Village between June 1 and October 1 of each year.
- Conflict with State Law: If any provision of this section conflicts or is otherwise inconsistent with a provision of state law, the more stringent or restrictive provision shall prevail and shall be enforced by the Village.
- Penalty: Anyone violating any provision of this chapter may be fined in accordance with the penalties set forth in section 6-7-5 of the Noise Pollution chapter of the Village Code.
Anyone with questions regarding the proposed change should contact Seth Jansen, Management Analyst and Sustainability Commission Staff Liaison at sjansen@vrf.us or 708-714-3521.