How many decibels is a leaf blower?
Leaf blower decibel figures depend on which of three kinds the maker prints: a 50 ft bystander figure, an operator's ear or sound power figure, or a bare dB. Makers publish three different kinds of number, and they cannot be compared with each other. This is the most important thing to know before comparing leaf blowers.
This is the sound level 50 feet (15 m) away, measured to the ANSI B175.2 standard. It is roughly what your neighbor hears, and it is what city rules use.
STIHL, Milwaukee, Makita and ECHO publish it, and so does EGO for its commercial models. Milwaukee prints it for five current US blowers, and our Milwaukee outdoor tool decibels page ranks all of them, along with what its trimmers, saws and mower leave out. Our ranking uses only this figure.
Husqvarna's US pages publish these instead. They are always much higher numbers, and they are the kind walk-behind mowers carry, which is why our lawn mower guide ranks on the operator figure instead.
Husqvarna's own 125B manual shows the gap: in its June 2026 edition, the person holding the 125B gets 92.6 dB(A) at the ear, against 72 dB(A) where a bystander stands under ANSI B175.2. Our Husqvarna decibels page lists those figures for every current Husqvarna blower.
A bare "dB"
Worx, RYOBI, DEWALT and EGO's consumer models print a number with no distance or standard. Worx's 57 dB may be excellent, but without a basis we cannot put it next to Milwaukee's 54 dB(A) at 50 ft.
Our EGO decibels page explains what the bare EGO figures are: rows in EGO's 2026 US catalog with no distance, standard or speed, which cannot be compared with the declarations in EGO's European manuals.
Several blower brands leave the noise line blank. Greenworks' blower pages had nothing, and neither did EGO's LB6003 backpack, ECHO's battery blower or DEWALT's DCBL777.
Are electric leaf blowers quieter than gas?
Yes, battery leaf blowers are clearly quieter than gas on the 50 ft figures. The quietest battery models here are rated at 50 to 60 dB(A), and the 50 is STIHL's small BGA 30. The quietest gas models are ECHO's low-noise line at 64 and 65 dB(A), and ECHO's standard PB-2520 and STIHL's BG 50 are both at 70 dB(A).
Gas still leads on sustained power for big properties, and ECHO's PB-760LNT shows that a gas backpack can meet a 65 dB(A) limit. But Makita's GBU04Z backpack is rated at 60 dB(A) with more air than the ECHO: 675 CFM against 535.
Our guide to the quietest backpack leaf blowers ranks every backpack we found on the same 50 ft figure, with Husqvarna's 550iBTX at 61 dB(A) in its manual and the Milwaukee 3009 and STIHL BGA 300 at 62.
The cordless blowers you hold in one hand get their own section below, with what the makers publish about boost and run time on low.
A handheld for the patio and deck: boost, run time on low and your own ears
Most of us own a handheld and use it for ten or twenty minutes on the patio, the deck or the driveway, within earshot of our own windows and the neighbors'.
The 50 ft rating still decides what the street hears, and among the handhelds above the order holds: STIHL's BGA 30 at 50 dB(A), the Milwaukee 3017-20 at 54, the STIHL BGA 50 at 55, the BGA 60 and BGA 110 at 56, the BGA 86 at 58 and the Makita XBU03 at 60, each at 50 ft under ANSI B175.2.
Three things it leaves out matter on a small lot.
What boost costs
Most handhelds have a boost or turbo button; almost no maker says what it adds.
The exception is a blower we have not ranked, Husqvarna's 525iB Mark II, whose manual lists 64.4 dB(A) in Normal mode and 66 dB(A) in Boost mode, both at 50 ft under ANSI B175.2: 1.6 decibels, enough to cross a 65 dB(A) line.
STIHL's BGA 60 and BGA 110 each have a Boost mode and a single 56 dB(A) figure, and STIHL does not say which mode it describes. Husqvarna's 530iB manual, 60 dB(A) at 50 ft, is the instructive case: its noise data are "determined on the basis of the rated maximum speed", so the published figure is the loud end.
Run time at the low setting. The quiet speed is also the long one, and EGO publishes run time by speed: its LB6500 manual gives the LB6504 200 minutes on low, 30 on high and 15 in boost with a 5.0Ah battery.
RYOBI says the RY404014K runs over 45 minutes with a 4Ah battery using the variable speed trigger on low. STIHL gives ranges without naming the setting, 20 to 115 minutes for the BGA 50 on an AK 20 and 8 to 25 for the BGA 30 on an AS 2, and Milwaukee publishes none for the 3017-20.
The operator's ear figure is what you hear; it stays in its own list, apart from the 50 ft ratings. STIHL's UK product data give 73 dB(A) at the operator for the BGA 30, 76 for the BGA 60, 78 for the BGA 50 and 82 for the BGA 110, each with a K-value of 2.0 dB(A); Husqvarna's page gives 76.9 dB(A) for the 530iB, and Milwaukee publishes no operator figure.
The small BGA 30 has the lowest figure on both lists, weighs 3.4 lb without battery, and STIHL approves it for indoor use. Even 73 dB(A) is measured at your head, which is why EGO's LB5800E manual says to "Always wear ear protection when operating this product".
What do leaf blower noise ordinances say?
The leaf blower noise ordinances we read, in Portland and Los Altos Hills, both cap blowers at 65 decibels at 50 feet under the ANSI standard, and both limit the hours of use. Here is how each rule works.
Portland, Oregon.
From March 1 through October 31, the city allows only blowers on its certified list of 65 dBA or quieter at 50 feet. The list includes only blowers certified by a third-party lab using the ANSI B175.2 method. Residential use is not allowed between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
Los Altos Hills, California.
Blowers cannot exceed 65 decibels at 50 feet under the ANSI standard, and residents must carry the maker's sticker certifying it. Blowers may be used from 8:00 am to 5:30 pm, Monday through Saturday, and not on Sundays or holidays.
If your town has a rule, check its exact wording. A blower with no stated basis, however low its number, may not satisfy it.
Are gas leaf blowers banned in California?
No, California has not banned gas leaf blowers outright, though most new ones must meet a zero-emission standard. The California Air Resources Board set emission standards of zero for most new small off-road engines, including leaf blowers, from model year 2024, but CARB says Californians can keep using their current gas equipment, and that older models on store shelves can still be bought. If you are in California, check that a gas model is sold there before you buy it.
How do you make a leaf blower quieter?
To make a leaf blower quieter, run it at the lowest speed that does the job, use one machine at a time and keep to sensible hours.
Use the lowest speed that does the job. ECHO's manual says never to use a higher speed than a task needs, because the higher the engine speed, the louder the blower. Husqvarna says the same: run at the lowest throttle that does the work. Most battery picks here have a variable speed trigger for exactly this.
Run one machine at a time. EGO and ECHO both advise limiting the number of pieces of power equipment used at once, to reduce sound levels.
If the patio is next in line for a pressure washer, our pressure washer guide explains why only two brands publish a figure for one.
Our guide to electric pressure washers for close neighbors found a third that does: Karcher, whose US manuals print 75 dB(A) at the operator, with an uncertainty of 3 dB(A), for four models.
Keep to sensible hours. ECHO says to use a blower only during appropriate hours. Husqvarna suggests 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and says to obey local rules.
Do you need ear protection for a leaf blower?
Yes, you need ear protection for a leaf blower, because a blower rated at 54 dB(A) at 50 feet is still loud where you stand. The manuals agree on this.
EGO says to wear hearing protection during extended periods of operation. Husqvarna says battery products are relatively quiet, but that noise and long use together can cause damage, and recommends hearing protectors. DEWALT says to always wear hearing protection that conforms to ANSI S12.6.
What leaf blower buying mistakes should you avoid?
The common leaf blower buying mistakes are comparing figures measured in different ways, buying a tool-only blower or a STIHL outside its dealers by mistake, and running at full speed out of habit.
They are not the same measurement.
The operator's number will always look far louder.
The Milwaukee and Makita backpack picks come without batteries or a charger.
Buying STIHL outside its dealer network
Its warranty covers only authorized US dealer purchases.
Running at full speed out of habit
The makers say a lower speed is quieter.
