Lower Merion's gas-powered leaf blower ban has drawn 437 complaints and 49 fines since June 1, prompting an $83,000 staffing request.

Department director Chris Leswing and assistant director Ernest Pendleton laid out the enforcement burden at the Board of Commissioners' Wednesday, Sept. 9 budget workshop, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Between June 1 and Sept. 9, leaf blower complaints outnumbered every other property-maintenance complaint combined. The department logged just 80 reports covering trash, debris, noise, lighting, high weeds and grass in that same span.

"There's a significant amount of administrative time required to enforce the ordinance, and it's just beyond our existing capabilities to do this," Leswing told commissioners.

Investigating violations has pushed back other projects and forced the department to pay overtime so staff can keep up with routine work, according to Leswing.

The department is asking for two additions: upgrading a part-time administrative clerk to full time at an added cost of $48,000, and hiring a seasonal code compliance officer for 22 weeks at $35,000.

Only about one-third of complaints include enough evidence to confirm a violation, Pendleton said. For the rest, a staff member must review photos and videos and drive to the site before deciding whether to fine a property owner. Inspectors are often already out on other calls. No one is available to respond to tips in real time.

The complaint-based system has also created friction between neighbors. Commissioner Christine McGuire said residents have told her they feel uncomfortable reporting one another. Pendleton agreed, saying residents do not like having to turn in their neighbors, though he noted that nearly all of the township's standard property-maintenance complaints come through resident reporting.

The Board of Commissioners passed the ban in fall 2025. The ordinance restricts handheld and backpack gas-powered leaf blowers on a phased schedule: June 1 through Oct. 1 in 2026, expanded seasonal windows in 2027 and 2028, and a permanent year-round ban starting in 2029. Wheeled gas-powered equipment such as walk-behind and tow-behind blowers remains legal after commissioners passed exemptions in May.

Violators first receive a warning. Fines start at $100 for a first offense, rise to $250 for a second and $600 for a third.

Some commissioners appeared supportive of the staffing requests at the Sept. 9 workshop, but no formal vote was taken. Both officials and commissioners said they expect complaints to decline as residents and landscapers switch to electric equipment. Pendleton said a seasonal officer would give the township flexibility to drop the position if demand falls.

The staffing request lands as the township faces broader budget pressure. Township Manager Ernie McNeely warned at the same workshop that preliminary 2027 figures point to another property tax increase, which would be the third straight year. Lower Merion raised its real estate tax rate 6.5% for 2025 and 8% for 2026, according to Patch.

The full 2027 budget is expected in early November, with a final vote in December.