Highland Park is moving to extend its seasonal gas leaf blower ban beyond the end of 2026, buying time for a five-village feasibility study that could lead to a permanent phaseout across the North Shore.

At a Wednesday, May 27 Highland Park City Council meeting, management analyst Megan Cherry said staff is recommending the extension so there is no gap in regulation while the study wraps up. The current ban, which prohibits gas-powered blower use nine months of the year (allowing them only in April, October, and November), has been in effect for more than two years and is set to expire at the end of 2026.

The Regional Leaf Blower Working Group, representing Wilmette, Kenilworth, Winnetka, Glencoe, and Highland Park, plans to review findings from its consultants in late 2026 or early 2027 before deciding whether to recommend eliminating gas-powered blowers entirely.

"We have been studying this for five years," said Highland Park Councilmember Annette Lidawer. "This would give us additional data points to bring us completely up-to-date, technologically speaking. I'd hate to see the current ban be put off for another whole year or season."

Lidawer pushed for extending the current ordinance through September 30, 2027, so a total ban could take effect by fall 2027 if the study supports it. Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering indicated the council could adjust the timeline later.

What the study is measuring

The American Green Zone Alliance and Quiet Communities, the working group's consultants, are testing electric leaf blowers for run time, noise levels, and equipment performance. They completed field work in April 2026 and plan a second round this fall.

The central question: whether battery-powered equipment can now handle the North Shore's heavy fall leaf load. A December 2022 working group report found no electric alternatives at that time could match gas blowers during fall cleanup, when the region's dense tree canopy drops enormous volumes of leaves. The new study aims to determine whether the technology has caught up.

Cost gap for landscapers

That 2022 report, co-chaired by Glencoe Village Manager Phil Kiraly, Highland Park City Manager Ghida Neukirch, and Wilmette Village Manager Mike Braiman, documented a steep cost difference: outfitting one landscape crew with battery-electric equipment costs approximately $11,225, compared to $1,125 for gas. That roughly 10-to-1 gap could mean higher prices for homeowners who hire landscaping services.

The noise difference is substantial. Gas blowers register 75–83 decibels at 50 feet; battery models hit 52–65 decibels.

What comes next

Study findings will be presented at a Highland Park Committee of the Whole meeting in the first quarter of 2027. No formal vote date has been set in any of the five communities. Highland Park City Manager Ghida Neukirch said the goal is for the council to make its "most informed decision."

The five North Shore villages would join more than 200 jurisdictions nationally that have restricted or banned gas-powered leaf blowers, according to USA Today reporting from October 2025. Highland Park enforces the current ban through city inspectors who visit properties and leave informational materials, with third-party inspectors conducting two citywide sweeps per month from May through September.