California AB 1346: Sales Ban, Penalties, and Exemptions

California’s ban on new gas-powered lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and similar small-engine equipment took effect with model year 2024 under Assembly Bill 1346, signed in October 2021. The law requires the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to set emission standards at zero for most new small off-road engines sold in the state, which in practice ends the sale of new gas mowers, blowers, trimmers, edgers, and small chainsaws.¹ It does not require anyone to give up equipment they already own.²

The reasoning behind the rule is that small gas engines have overtaken passenger cars as a source of smog-forming pollutants in California, largely because they lack the catalytic converters and emission controls modern vehicles use.²

What Can No Longer Be Sold New

Equipment subject to the zero-emission standard as of model year 2024 includes lawn mowers (both walk-behind and riding), leaf blowers, string trimmers, edgers, hedge trimmers, log splitters, and chainsaws with engines smaller than 45cc.³ If a gas-powered tool in any of these categories was built for model year 2024 or later, it cannot legally be sold new in California.

The definition CARB works from covers spark-ignition engines producing 25 horsepower or less.⁴ Diesel engines are not classified as small off-road engines regardless of horsepower, so a diesel riding mower, generator, pressure washer, or pump falls outside the mandate.⁵

Generators and Large Pressure Washers Got Extra Time

Portable generators and pressure washers with engines 225cc or larger have to meet tougher interim standards starting in 2024, but they don’t have to hit zero emissions until model year 2028. CARB gave these categories more time because battery-electric versions needed further development to match the performance users rely on.⁶

What You Can Still Buy, Own, and Sell

The law targets manufacture and sale of new equipment only. Existing gas mowers, blowers, trimmers, and chainsaws can continue to be operated, maintained, and repaired for the rest of their useful life.²

Selling used gas equipment is still legal too. A homeowner selling an older gas chainsaw or leaf blower to a neighbor faces no legal barrier under these regulations. The restriction is on new units entering the market, not on secondhand transactions.

A number of engine categories are exempt from the SORE regulations altogether, even when they use gas-powered spark-ignition engines under 25 horsepower:

Chainsaws with engines 45cc or larger and brush cutters 40cc or larger.
Concrete and masonry saws, chippers (40cc and larger), stump grinders, shredders, grinders, welders, air compressors, and light towers.
Pumps with engines 40cc and above.
All diesel equipment, including diesel generators, pressure washers, pumps, and riding mowers.
Stationary equipment, such as standby generators permanently installed at hospitals or data centers.³

Farm and ranch operators get further protection. Under the federal Clean Air Act, states cannot regulate engines used in farm equipment or vehicles that produce less than 175 horsepower, so most gas equipment used in agricultural production is exempt regardless of engine size.³

Fire departments, police departments, and other emergency response agencies may buy equipment powered by a non-California-certified engine when no California-certified alternative is available. Those purchases need written approval from CARB’s Executive Officer.⁷

There’s also a narrow replacement-engine exception. If you own equipment built with an engine manufactured before the zero-emission requirement, and that engine needs replacing, a new gas replacement engine of 225cc or larger may still be sold for that purpose, but only when the engine manufacturer confirms no compliant engine from any maker can serve as a replacement for that specific piece of equipment.⁸

Who Actually Gets Penalized

Enforcement runs through CARB’s certification framework: manufacturers must certify that engines meet the applicable emission standards before those engines can be sold in the state. Penalties for selling non-certified small off-road engines can reach $632 per unit, which adds up quickly for manufacturers or retailers moving inventory. The enforcement burden falls on sellers and manufacturers, not on individual consumers using equipment they already own.

Incentives for Commercial Landscapers

Switching a commercial fleet from gas to battery-electric carries real cost. To ease the transition, California runs the Clean Off-Road Equipment Voucher Incentive Project (CORE), which provides point-of-sale discounts on commercial zero-emission equipment. CORE does not require scrapping old gas equipment to qualify, and it offers additional funding for charging infrastructure, equipment deployed in disadvantaged communities, and small businesses.⁹

Roughly $6 to $7 million in CORE funding has been designated specifically for professional landscape service equipment, aimed at small business landscapers and sole proprietors.⁹ To use it, business owners verify eligibility through the CORE program website and purchase from a participating dealer. The statute also directs CARB to identify and make available funding for commercial rebates or similar incentives through local air district programs, so additional district-level rebates may exist depending on where you operate.¹⁰

Does the Ban Apply Outside California?

No. The zero-emission requirement for lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and similar equipment applies only in California. The EPA’s most recent emission standards for small spark-ignition engines, the Phase 3 standards, took effect in 2011 and 2012 and have not been updated since; they set pollutant limits but come nowhere near requiring zero emissions.¹¹ California’s authority to go further rests on its unique Clean Air Act status, which other states can choose to follow. Several states have historically adopted California’s vehicle emission standards, but the small engine mandate is newer, and whether other states follow remains an open question.

1
California Air Resources Board. 2021 – Assembly Bill 1346 (Berman, Marc), Small Off-Road Engines (Chaptered)
2
Office of Assemblymember Marc Berman. AB 1346 Fact Sheet
3
California Air Resources Board. CARB SORE Fact Sheet
4
California Air Resources Board. Resolution 21-28 – Proposed Amendments to the Small Off-Road Engine Regulations
5
California Air Resources Board. Small Off-Road Engine Regulations Applicability Fact Sheet
6
California Air Resources Board. CARB Approves Updated Regulations Requiring Most New Small Off-Road Engines Be Zero Emission Starting in 2024
7
California Air Resources Board. SORE Applicability Fact Sheet
8
Cornell Law Institute. Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 13, 2403 – Exhaust Emission Standards and Test Procedures
9
California Air Resources Board. Clean Off-Road Equipment Voucher Incentive Project
10
California Legislative Information. California Code, Health and Safety Code – HSC 43018.11
11
United States Environmental Protection Agency. Regulations for Emissions from Small Equipment and Tools