FAQs
The Councils are made up of five (5) members each. They are required by ordinance to have a minimum of a Chair and an Official Delegate, however, many have chosen to elect a Secretary and Vice-Chair.
You have 3 options once you have been charged with a traffic or criminal offense:
- You may plead “not guilty” – this sets the matter for trial. This plea must be made to the Municipal Court Judge.
- You may plead “guilty” – sentence will be imposed either in the form of a fine, jail or both. The fine and/or jail is set by statute. This plea must be made to the Municipal Court Judge.
- You may qualify for a deferred prosecution agreement on traffic offenses. This is an informal probation agreement you may enter into with the prosecutor where trial is deferred for the term of the agreement. This is not a guilty plea and the charge will not affect your permanent driving record should you comply with all terms of the agreement. A fee is required for this agreement, which is usually equal to, but may be greater than, the standard fine amount. You may inquire as to whether you qualify for a deferred prosecution agreement by coming into the City Prosecutor’s Office in Room 101 of the Civic Center. An appointment with the City Prosecutor is not necessary. Legal staff in the office will assist you. There is no guarantee that a deferred prosecution agreement will be offered. All fees must be paid in full at the time the agreement is executed. City Prosecutor's Office can only accept cash, check or money order.
If you need to speak to a City Prosecutor regarding your charges, you may contact the City Prosecutor during open at the following times:
- Monday - Check in time is 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
- Tuesday, Thursday & Friday – Check in time is 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
The submission of the complaint form triggers the investigation/ inspection process. This process determines if a violation exists. If a violation exists, the property owner is notified of the violation. City staff will then work with the property owner to achieve voluntary compliance. On rare occasions, when voluntary compliance is not achieved, the City will pursue legal action. Legal action is always the last resort. Over 90% of cases are resolved in the investigation/ inspection phase with no legal action needed.
♦ Take Highway 87 (north) towards Havre. Watch for Ryan/Morony Dam sign. Go about 5 miles and follow the signs for Ryan Dam. Ryan Dam sits atop the original great falls. You can also visit Morony Dam following these directions.
Listed under "Services:" Cascade County Clerk and Recorder's Office, (406) 454-6801, located at 121 4th Street North, Suite 1B-1, Great Falls, MT 59401.
3800 Ulm North Frontage Road - Airport exit from I-15
The owner is responsible for the permits, or he or she may designate this responsibility to the contractor. When this happens, the owner should be sure the contractor has obtained all the appropriate permits and that the contractor receives all the inspection approvals. The contractor needs to have a valid city license to legally do work within the city limits.
During renovations, the Great Falls Animal Shelter will not be accepting stray intakes from the general public.
We are asking for the community's help during this time to ensure pets can return to their homes quickly and safely.
Many stray animals are beloved pets that have wandered just a few blocks from home. If you find a stray animal, we encourage you to stay in the area where the animal was found and take reasonable steps to reunite it with its owner. Here are some suggestions:
Check for identification tags.
Speak with neighbors who might recognize the animal.
Post in local lost-and-found pet groups on social media.
Look in the area for the owner, who may be actively searching for their pet.
Removing the animal from the area—whether by bringing it to the shelter or confining it in a car, home, or garage—can make it more difficult for the owner to locate their pet. Most lost pets are reunited quickly when they remain near their home, where their owners are likely searching.
By taking this community-minded approach, you can help pets return home safely, avoid unnecessary disruptions to their environment, and assist us in reducing the number of animals in the shelter during renovations.
Please note that while the shelter is temporarily unable to accept strays directly from the public, Animal Control remains available to assist with animals that are in danger, posing a risk to the public, or requiring immediate intervention.
The short answer is yes. See the following for more specifics on the roof design:
- The roof design for the new aquatics center consists 75% of shed sloped roofs shedding towards a low slope roof (tapered insulation sloping to roof drains).
- This low slope roof in the center collects the water and drains it to subgrade stormwater piping, completely containing it. The roof assembly is of metal deck with R-30 continuous rigid thermal insulation, with cover board for roof protection and resiliency, and a single-ply membrane finish with 30-year warranty.
- The aesthetics of the roof design gives homage to the Air Force airplanes symbolizing “wings” with the roof forms.
- The ceiling below all the roofs is “exposed to structure” as in, there are no ceiling finishes below the roof assemblies, so the deck of the roof will be completely visible and easy to access.
- The middle low slope roof portion will provide platforms for air handler units for the building.
Reasons why a steep slope roof aka Gable roof is not being considered for the project:
- Gable roofs shed water and snow to the perimeter of the building along pedestrian walking paths, making it icy and wet, or dangerous due to snow fall.
- Gable roofs shed water and snow to the perimeter of the building along the building foundation, making the foundation susceptible to movement due to water infiltration. Great Falls is known for expansive soils so it is good practice to avoid water along foundations.
- Gable roofs are difficult to accomplish in large, expansive spaces, such as pools and gyms. Even at 3:12 roof slope, which is not very steep, the volume of space over an area that large is 22’ tall, verses 7’ of height in the shed roof system we’ve designed.
- Gable roof insulation systems are typically not as energy efficient as a low slope roof with insulation entirely above deck. In the assembly, we’ve designed the insulation is entirely continuous with no breaks. In gable roof assemblies, typically insulation is interrupted by roof framing, and special venting systems are needed for the roof finishes.
- The design described above will not expose the roof finish to the neighborhood, whereas Gable roofs would make it so that the metal roof finish would be very visible.
- The low slope roof provides a place for air handlers to be installed. Gable roofs do not have that area to install air handlers, therefore air handlers would have to be located on the ground, and ducts would be exposed as they route to the building. That would not be appropriate for a park with large amounts of patrons.
- Proper design and construction can alleviate the issue, Gable roofs often have issues with ice damming and gutter damage, which can present significant water damage within the building.
No, the readings have not been inaccurate. If the meter reader does not get a drive-by reading from a meter, they will read the meter manually.
♦ 30'x50' Pole: 110'
In May 2018 voters supported the creation of the Great Falls Park District Number 1 with a proposed assessment amount of $1.5 million annually for the first three years to address deferred maintenance and other operational needs.
The City will match the $10 million dollar grant by bonding to use a portion of the Park District Number 1 assessments. Taxes will not be increased. The operating costs will be covered through fees and current support levels.
The agendas are posted on the City's website and available to the public on the Thursday afternoon immediately preceding a Commission meeting.
For individuals who cannot afford an attorney, the State may appoint an attorney if certain financial and other criteria are met. This attorney would be a Public Defender. Applications for the Public Defender can be obtained from the Municipal Court at the window in the basement of the Civic Center.
The members of the Council are elected to two-year terms during the City General Election. To run for a Council seat, one must be eligible to vote in Cascade County, be eighteen years of age, and be a resident of the district that one wishes to serve. All of the nine Council districts are located within the corporate City limits of Great Falls. The residency requirement continues for the duration of the member's elected term, and if a member moves from the district s/he will be required to resign from the Council. No filing fees are required, but a Declaration for Nomination and Oath of Candidacy Form must be submitted to the Cascade County's Elections Office.
If a vacancy develops on a Council due to the resignation of a member, the remaining members will appoint a new member to serve the remainder of the vacant position.
Yes. Fill out the CodeRED registration form but be sure to select the “Business” option. Please note that emergency calls cannot be delivered to an automated attendant. Automated attendants will disrupt the process and the calls will not be delivered. Businesses should register their direct, manned emergency number and establish a procedure for distributing the CodeRED message to their workforce.
If you are not yet eighteen, a parent or guardian who is over eighteen must co-sign your registration.
We hope you never get a ticket, but if you find yourself in this situation, it pays to pay your ticket right away! If you don’t pay a parking ticket within 30 days, there is an added fee of $10.00.
If a vehicle has more than 5 unpaid parking tickets, the vehicle can be booted. To remove the boot, all parking tickets and a $150.00 boot fee must be paid in full. You can pay your tickets with a credit card by calling 406-455-8430.
Great Falls Fire Rescue, (406) 727-8070, located at 105 9th Street South, Great Falls, MT 59401.
The Building Safety Division: Planning & Community Development, which is located on the main floor of the Civic Center, Room 112, #2 Park Drive South, in downtown Great Falls.
3800 Ulm North Frontage Road - Airport exit from I-15
We carefully considered the timing of the renovations to minimize disruptions and determined that moving forward during the colder months was the best option. Here’s why:
Animal Intake Trends: Based on intake data from the past several years, these months are traditionally the slowest for animal intakes. While no time is ideal for closing the shelter, spring brings an influx of kittens and puppies, and summer introduces heat-related challenges. Additionally, colder weather typically reduces the number of animals becoming stray, as fewer pets are left outdoors.
Grant Funding Timeline: The renovations are grant-funded, and we have a limited window to complete the work. Delaying the project could jeopardize our funding and the progress we’ve planned.
Efficiency of Operations: By scheduling all renovations to happen at once, we can complete the project in a single, focused effort. This approach avoids the need for multiple interruptions to our operations and ensures we can resume full functionality as quickly as possible.
No, parking tickets do not go on your driving record.
If you were involved or are the insurer of one of the involved parties, you can get a copy by making a request through the City Attorney's Office. Please visit their Police Records Request page for information regarding this process.
