The City of Lake Forest may scale back the hours during which lawn maintenance equipment can be used, responding to ongoing noise complaints from residents.
Following a presentation at its Oct. 20 meeting, the City Council indicated support for a recommendation from the city’s Environmental Sustainability Committee (ESC) to shorten the permitted hours of commercial lawn equipment use — including gas-powered leaf blowers, which are most often associated with the noise.
Under the proposal, commercial operators could use equipment between 7:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, with all use prohibited on Sundays and holidays.
The changes represent a reduction of 30 minutes on weekday evenings, one hour less on Saturday mornings, 30 minutes less on Saturday evenings, and a full elimination of commercial activity on Sundays and holidays.
Residential hours would remain the same: 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays and holidays.
While the City Council did not take a vote, no member voiced opposition to the proposed changes.
Ald. Nancy Novit, 1st, who chairs the ESC, said complaints about lawn equipment noise are among the most frequent she hears from residents.
“I think this is a reasonable approach in an effort to just make it possible to sit outside in your backyard and have dinner on Saturday night and not listen to leaf blowers the whole time — or wake up to them on Saturday morning,” she said.
Permitted use hours were first set in 1991 and last revised in March 2019, according to city documents.
Keri Kaup, assistant to the city manager, clarified the rule would apply to all lawn equipment — including quieter electric blowers — but would not include snow blowers.
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Frank Mariani, CEO of Lake Bluff-based Mariani Landscape, said reduced Saturday hours could create challenges.
“But we can work around it,” he said, adding that courtesy and training are essential for landscaping crews.
Mariani was cynical that further regulatory changes would have the intended effect.
“The laws just wind up costing the homeowner more money,” he said.
Electric-powered blowers have improved, he acknowledged, but he argued they still are not suitable for large-scale projects.
“They are going to get there, but they are not there yet,” Mariani said.
How enforcement would work remains under discussion.
“We have a little bit of time to think through how we are going to handle enforcement, but it might be a combination of multiple departments,” City Manager Jason Wicha said.
City spokesperson Dana Olson said the first official vote could come in the next several months, though no date has been set.
Lake Forest and Lake Bluff previously participated in a leaf blower working group composed of 11 North Shore communities formed in 2021 amid growing frustration over noise throughout the area. Lake Bluff later enacted a seasonal ban on gas-powered blowers — from May 15 to Sept. 30 — with an evaluation planned after two years.
The village’s Sustainability and Community Enhancement Ad Hoc Committee subsequently recommended a full ban, though the Village Board declined to act. A follow-up recommendation in February 2025 supported a nine-month ban, allowing use only in April, October, and November.
Some residents in Lake Bluff have continued to push for stricter regulation, with some advocates saying at a September village board saying they had more than 400 signatures on petitions supporting their cause.
The North Shore working group is currently studying the feasibility of broader restrictions on gas-powered blowers. Village Administrator Drew Irvin expects results in about a year and anticipates Lake Bluff trustees will revisit the issue after the report is released.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.