S 2574Cities & Towns

Towns and Cities - General Powers

This bill stops towns from banning gas-powered landscaping tools in the future but keeps existing bans in place.

Held for study

Population
Affected

Introduced Feb 13, 2026Committee Senate Housing & Municipal Government

Plain-English Summary

This legislation prohibits Rhode Island cities and towns from creating new laws that ban or restrict the sale or use of outdoor landscaping equipment, such as leaf blowers and lawn mowers, based solely on the type of fuel they use (e.g., gasoline). However, municipalities retain the right to regulate noise levels and hours of operation. Importantly, any town ordinances banning specific fuel types that were already in effect before this bill passed remain valid, provided the town does not try to expand or amend those existing rules later.

For younger readers

This new rule is about the machines people use to take care of yards, like lawn mowers and leaf blowers. Sometimes, towns want to stop people from using gas-powered machines because they can be loud or smelly. This bill says that towns are not allowed to make new rules that say you can't use gas machines. However, if a town already made a rule against them before this law started, they can keep that rule. Towns can still say what time of day people are allowed to make noise with these machines.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups

Landscaping businessesHomeownersMunicipal governmentsHardware and equipment retailersEnvironmental advocacy groups

Impacted communities

All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost

None

Estimated revenue

None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints

For Progressives

Protects small, independent landscaping businesses, often owned by immigrants or lower-income individuals, from the immediate financial burden of replacing expensive equipment to comply with sudden local bans.
Preserves the democratic decisions of communities that acted early to protect their local environment by grandfathering in existing bans and regulations.
Standardizes regulations across the state, preventing a confusing patchwork of laws that could penalize workers traveling between different towns for their jobs.
Undermines local democracy by stripping communities of the power to enact future environmental and health regulations that reflect the will of their residents.
Perpetuates the use of fossil fuels and high-emission two-stroke engines, contributing to climate change and local air pollution.
Continues to expose landscaping workers and neighborhoods to the adverse health effects associated with the exhaust and high decibel noise of gas-powered equipment.

For Conservatives

Protects the free market and consumer choice by ensuring individuals and businesses can purchase and use the equipment that best suits their needs without government interference.
Prevents government overreach by stopping local municipalities from enacting bans that infringe upon property rights and business operations.
Supports small business owners by shielding them from costly government mandates that would force the premature retirement of functional equipment.
Creates an inconsistent legal landscape by grandfathering existing bans, resulting in citizens in some towns having fewer economic freedoms than those in others.
Interferes with the principle of local governance by dictating from the state level what town councils can and cannot manage regarding local nuisances.
Introduces potential regulatory confusion regarding the difference between valid "noise regulations" and invalid "effective prohibitions," likely leading to litigation.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 24 additions

SECTION 1. Chapter 45-2 of the General Laws entitled "General Powers" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 45-2-71. Regulation of powered landscape equipment.

(a) Notwithstanding any provision of a municipal charter, ordinance, rule, or regulation to the contrary, no city or town shall enact or enforce any ordinance or regulation that prohibits, bans, or otherwise restricts the sale, purchase, ownership, or use of powered landscape equipment based solely upon the type of fuel or power source used by such equipment.

(b) For purposes of this section, “powered landscape equipment” shall include, but not be limited to, leaf blowers, lawn mowers, string trimmers, hedge trimmers, edgers, and similar outdoor maintenance equipment, whether powered by gasoline, diesel, electricity, battery, or other energy source.

(1) Reasonable, content-neutral noise regulations of general applicability;

(2) Restrictions on hours of operation applicable to all powered equipment; or

(3) Regulations necessary to address public safety concerns, provided such regulations do not effectively prohibit the use of powered landscape equipment based on fuel type.

(d) Grandfathering. Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section, any ordinance or regulation of a city or town that was duly adopted and in effect prior to the effective date of this section and that prohibits or restricts powered landscape equipment based on fuel or power source, including any municipal ban, shall remain valid and enforceable within that municipality; provided that, such ordinance or regulation is not amended, expanded, or reenacted after the effective date of this section.

(e) Any ordinance or regulation adopted, amended, expanded, or reenacted after the effective date of this section that is inconsistent with the provisions herein shall be deemed null and void.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.