Lawnmowers, leafblowers, weed-whackers and other small-engine devices made after January 1 will have to be zero-emission to be sold legally in California.

It's a familiar sound all over the state.

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Power landscaping tools---the vast majority of them fueled by gasoline.

Two years ago, the California Air Resources Board announced it would require any such products made after January first, 2024 to be zero-emission in order to be sold here---the first state in the nation to do so.

Christopher Dilbeck is Manager of Testing and Certification at CARB.

"California was the first to regulate these small off-road engines, when CARB adopted the first emission standard in 1990, and we've remained ahead for the most part," Dilbeck said.

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These small engines pollute well beyond their size and weight, with CARB saying their total emissions are projected to be nearly twice those of passenger cars by 2031.

The new law doesn't require owners of these devices to stop using them or to buy new ones, but eventually, the only available equipment will be zero-emission. 

Dave Garretson's been a landscaper for 40 years.  He says he'll be retiring before he needs to replace his equipment---but...

The battery technology's not there yet for a blower," Garretson said. "I mean, you're going to be carrying 35, 40 pounds of battery and blower. "

Sonoma County did offer a lawn mower exchange program, which paid residents to turn in their working gasoline lawn mowers for scrapping. In exchange, residents received funds toward the purchase of a new, cordless, zero-emission electric lawn mower. But that program is closed and it's unclear if there will be more coming.