Public hearing on gas-powered yard equipment restrictions set for October 3 board meeting
A public hearing scheduled for Tuesday, October 3 at 6pm at Northport Village Hall will focus on a proposed law amendment related to the use of gas-powered home and yard equipment.
Currently, the use of outdoor equipment, which includes leaf blowers, mowers, saws and garden tools, is permitted between the hours of 8am through 9pm, with no exceptions for weekends or certain months listed.
The proposed code change would allow for commercial gas-powered home and yard maintenance equipment weekdays between 8am and 6pm, and Saturdays between 9am and 5pm, only during months between Labor Day and Memorial Day (September through May). The use of commercial landscaping equipment on Saturdays during summer months, and on all Sundays and holidays of the calendar year, would be deemed a noise disturbance.
For homeowners and government entities, or commercial landscapers providing services at cemeteries, government properties, public school-owned properties, or in commercial and industrial zones, yard equipment use is allowed on weekdays from 8am to 6pm, and Saturdays, Sundays and holidays between 9am to 5pm.
All gas-powered equipment can only be operated for two hours per property on weekdays and one hour on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays. These time restrictions, however, do not apply to spring clean-ups (from March 15 through April 30) or fall clean-ups (from November 1 through December 20). In the event of an emergency that needed cleanup, as determined by the Village administrator, all restrictions would be suspended.
Thel equipment use restrictions noted above have already been implemented by the Town of Huntington, after an October 2021 law amendment was approved. Northport Village held a public hearing on this issue in September 2021, but did not move forward with a code change after several professional landscapers spoke out against the limitations.
The public hearing will take place on Tuesday, October 3 at 6pm, at Northport Village Hall. The agenda and link to view the meeting via Zoom can be found here.
