Your neighbor’s leaves blow into your NJ yard. Whose problem is it?

I do my own yard work. I always have, and I take a lot of pride in it.

Most of my friends pay a landscaper to mow the lawn and rake the leaves. Not me. Truth be told, I enjoy it. Radio isn’t physical work, and neither is writing. Last night I was on my couch with a ginger ale and some pretzels, listening to Jersey’s Biggest Hits on New Jersey 101.5. Life was good.

On a talk shift, I’m sitting there BSing with my co-host or talking up a song intro. All fun. None of it physical. So yard work isn’t a chore to me. It’s a hobby and an instant source of pride.

I’ve got a fleet: lawn mowers (all gas, sorry), a power washer, a trimmer, a chain saw and two leaf blowers. OK, one is electric, but it doesn’t have the muscle for the fall job.

Sometimes the collateral damage is leaves blowing into my neighbors’ yards. I don’t sweat it. When they do their yards, their leaves come my way. My trees drop on their lawns, and theirs drop on mine. If it’s in my yard, I pick it up.

Not everybody feels that way. I’ve seen the posts on Ring and Nextdoor from people fuming over a neighbor’s leaves. So what does the law say?

Leaves that land on your yard are yours

There’s no New Jersey rule that makes your neighbor clean up leaves that fall or blow onto your property, the Asbury Park Press reported. Generally, whatever lands on your side is your responsibility. The exception is neglect, like a dead or rotting tree the owner ignored.

Even if those leaves clog your gutters or drains, you generally don’t have a legal claim against your neighbor.

Don’t throw them back

Raking them up and dumping them back over the line can count as littering or illegal dumping, depending on your town’s ordinances.

Blowing your own leaves next door on purpose is a legal gray area. Leaves drifting on the wind are an act of nature. You aiming a blower at your neighbor’s lawn is not. And if you step onto their property to do it, that could be trespassing.

SEE ALSO: Your neighbor’s tree hangs over your house. Can you cut it?

Many NJ towns only allow loose leaves at the curb right before pickup. | Photo by Dan Dennison/Getty Images

The street is a different story

Many towns restrict pushing leaves into the street because they wash into storm drains. Roosevelt in Monmouth County allows loose leaves at the curb only in the seven days before a scheduled pickup, with fines up to $500 for a first offense and up to $2,000 for repeat offenders. Check your town’s leaf collection schedule before you blow anything to the curb.

About that gas leaf blower

Maplewood bans gas leaf blowers, and South Orange is moving the same way. Millburn’s seasonal limits started this year, though fall use is allowed. A bill in Trenton, S623, would eventually ban two-stroke gas blowers statewide. Check your town’s rules before you fire one up.

Do you rake, blow or pay someone? And have leaves ever started a feud on your street?