Piedmont Says Leaf Blowers No. 1 Noise Complaint In Town - But Not So In Orinda

Piedmont passed an ordinance prohibiting anyone other than city maintenance crews working on public land to use gas blowers 20 years ago. Though Piedmont Police Chief John Hunt says the annoyance is nowhere near what it was before the ban, it's still the No. 1 noise complaint in town, way ahead of barking dogs and construction.

In November, at the height of the fall season, local police logged nine noise complaints, seven having to do with leaf blowers. Officers issued four warnings and one citation to an operator. In one case, officers were unable to track down the source of the noise, and in another the leaf blower being used turned out to be an electric one — which is allowed in Piedmont but often draws complaints, too.

Orinda Police Chief Jeffrey Jennings said his officers respond to an average of two noise complaints each month - with most of those occurring on Sunday. 

"Normally, it is a chain saw or leaf blower that is being used which cannot be used on Sundays," he said. "... The blowers and chainsaws echo off the hills and are often hard to locate but the officers will drive the neighborhood of the complaint and warn or cite the offender when located."