Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a new electric landscaping equipment rebate program into law on Monday, Sept. 28. Commercial landscapers in Rye and across New York will be eligible for point-of-sale discounts on battery-powered mowers, leaf blowers and other equipment.

The new law, A.2657A, was sponsored in the State Assembly by Assemblyman Steve Otis, a Rye resident who represents the 91st District. State Sen. Liz Krueger co-sponsored the bill in the Senate. It passed both chambers in late April.

"It is really geared to help the small business person who's in the landscaping business and wants or needs to move to all-electric equipment," Otis told MyRye.com in March, when the bill was still pending.

The program, administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), will offer rebates at the point of sale on a first-come, first-served basis until funds run out. Eligible equipment is expected to include battery-powered lawn mowers, leaf blowers, leaf vacuums, chainsaws and snow blowers, along with related batteries and chargers, according to Hudson Valley Country.

The law does not set a specific rebate percentage or total program budget. NYSERDA will determine those details through a rulemaking process that has not yet been scheduled. Earlier reports suggested savings could reach 70 percent per device, but the signed law does not guarantee that figure.

Beyond commercial landscapers, the rebate program is also open to state agencies, local governments, school districts, private schools, universities and nonprofits, according to the governor's office.

Otis and Krueger worked with a coalition of more than 100 environmental, public health and business groups led by the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) to advance the bill.

Rye banned gas-powered leaf blowers year-round on Feb. 11, in a 6-0 City Council vote effective May 1. Councilperson Emily Baldwin abstained. In May alone, Rye police issued 78 summonses for gas blower use, the Rye Record reported in July, up from just two summonses in the first four months of 2025.

The enforcement spike underscored cost pressures facing small landscaping businesses. Irving Reyes, owner of Reyes Lawn Care & Landscaping on Long Island, told the Rye Record in July that Southampton's gas blower ban had driven smaller operators out of the market and increased his costs.

The Rye City Council has a public hearing scheduled for its Wednesday, Oct. 7 meeting to consider amending the city's leaf blower and noise ordinances to create an exemption for emergency activities. Residents can check the city's agenda for details.