FAQs
Community tours are offered on Friday afternoons by appointment. Call the Park and Recreation Office at 406-771-1265 to arrange your tour!
If a property contains trash, junk, etc., you can submit a complaint online. If you are unable to submit a complaint online, you may fill out a paper form in any city office (Civic Center, Public Works, etc.). The appropriate city department will then investigate the situation described in the form. If the property involved is your neighbor’s, you are encouraged to reach out to them, which can often result in a solution to the situation. Check out the city's Neighborhood Guide.
DCIP stands for Defense Community Infrastructure Pilot Program. The Defense Community Infrastructure Pilot Program (DCIP) is designed to address deficiencies in community infrastructure, supportive of a military installation, in order to enhance the military family quality of life, resilience, or military value.
For more information: https://oldcc.gov/defense-community-infrastructure-program-dcip
A meter transceiver is 1 of 3 components of Automated Meter Reading (AMR) equipment in the water meter box:
An electronic register that is physically attached to the water meter;
A meter transponder that is connected via wire to the electronic register; and
A vehicle transceiver in the meter reader's drive-by vehicle.
As a meter reader's vehicle equipped with a transceiver drives along a meter-reading route, the transceiver sends a radio signal to meter transceiver within range to notify them to transmit, via radio signal, meter reads back to the transceiver. The meter transceiver gets the reading from the electronic register and sends it back via radio signal, to the transceiver where it is collected for bill processing.
CodeRED is an emergency notification service that allows emergency officials to notify residents and businesses by telephone, cell phone, text message, email and social media regarding time-sensitive general and emergency notifications. Only authorized officials have access to the CodeRED system.
See DCIP Timeline below under Supporting Documents.
If you notice an abandoned, wrecked, inoperable, or unlicensed vehicle on public or private property within city limits, you can submit a complaint online. If you are unable to submit a complaint online, you may fill out a paper form in any city office (Civic Center, Public Works, etc.). The appropriate city department will then investigate the situation described in the form.
Reportable issues may include, but are not limited to:
- Trash/Litter
- Weeds/ Grass
- Abandoned Vehicles
- Domestic Animal
- Noise
- Snow Removal
- ADA Compliance
- Road/Traffic
We are actively collaborating with shelters across the state to ensure all animals are housed safely and comfortably until our renovations are complete.
The City Commission meetings are on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Their meeting place is the Commission Chambers located on the second floor of the Civic Center.
A City Commission work session is usually scheduled immediately preceding the regular meeting. The work session usually begins at 5:30 p.m. and these meetings are currently being held in the Gibson Room 212. However, once in a while a meeting is moved to either another room or location. Watch the web site and/or local newspaper for any changes in locations.
For all permits and registrations, at the Shelter. Registrations may also be obtained from a participating veterinarian.
Municipal Court is in the basement of the Civic Center, #2 Park Drive South.
The Animal Shelter is located at 1010 25th Avenue NE
If a code violation on city property is noticed, a Citizen Complaint Form should be filled out. This can be done online. If you are unable to submit a complaint online, you may fill out a paper form in any city office. The appropriate city department will then investigate the situation. Example: If a complaint was reported about a park, the Park & Rec. Dept. would take care of the complaint.
Clerk of Municipal Court at (406) 771-1380, located in the Civic Center, 2 Park Drive South, Room 2, Great Falls, MT 59401.
In 2010, the City Commission requested City staff write an expanded urban chicken ordinance for consideration. At that time, urban chickens and other livestock were only allowed on properties that were zoned R-1 (the link for the zoning map is below). At a public hearing on April 5, 2011, the City Commission did not pass the proposed ordinances that staff wrote and no changes were made to City Code regarding urban chickens (links for Ordinance 3066, Ordinance 3067, and Ordinance 3069 are below).
Urban chickens came up again in 2017. The City Commission adopted Resolution 10198, which sent the question of whether chickens should be allowed within the City limits to voters. On the November 7, 2017 general election ballot, voters declined to allow chickens in the City limits (6,646 against – 6,040 in favor).
In 2021, a citizen attempted to gain support for legalizing backyard hens once again. They drafted a ballot request for a public vote, but they relocated out of Great Falls and didn't see it through.
Here are relevant links:
-Interactive Zoning Map of Great Falls
-Ordinance 3066 (did not pass by the City Commission)
-Ordinance 3067 (did not pass by the City Commission)
-Ordinance 3069 (did not pass by the City Commission)
-Resolution 10198 (was approved by the City Commission - which sent the issue to voters to decide on)
One of the most common misconceptions regarding the Neighborhood Councils is that the City Commission or City Staff created them. The Neighborhood Councils were a result of the 1996 Local Government Study Commission's work. The Montana Constitution allows all self-governing bodies the opportunity to review their form of government once every ten years. This review is initiated by a vote of the public, and a study commission is elected. In 1996, the voters chose to review our City Commission/Manager form of government. As a result of the work of the Study Commission, it was felt that our form of government works well and is efficient, but it gives the perception of being inaccessible.
In an effort to improve accessibility, the Study Commission recommended three changes to the City's Charter on the November 1996 ballot. Those recommendations were to 1) increase the size of the Commission from a mayor and four commissioners to a mayor and six commissioners; 2) lengthen the term of mayor from two years to four years for more continuity; and 3) re-establish neighborhood councils as a formally recognized advisory board within the City Charter. Of the three recommendations, only the Neighborhood Council amendment to the Charter was passed by the voters in November 1996. The Charter Amendment for creation of the Councils included a sunset provision that required a ratification vote in 2001 during the City General Election. The sunset was approved by a 9 to 1 ratio by the voters, and the councils are now a permanent part of the City Charter.
The City has not been able to provide an ice skating experience at Gibson Park for some time now. Since the shale rock was removed from the bottom of the pond, dye has been added to the water to combat weeds and algae (by minimizing photosynthesis). The dye makes it difficult for the water to form ice compatible for skating. (The City does not own the machine needed to resurface the ice.) In addition, water fowl often use the pond. Their body heat and waste cause issues with ice forming as well. (Although the City doesn’t clear the ice, some people have started to use Wadsworth Pond for ice skating.)
No. The City Attorney represents the State of Montana’s interests in criminal prosecutions within the City Limits of Great Falls and represents the City of Great Falls and its various divisions in legal matters. Any requests for legal advice should be directed to attorneys in the community and/or Cascade County Law Clinic. Contact information for private attorneys can be found in the telephone directory under Attorneys.
Complete and submit a Citizen Complaint Form. Please note, forms submitted with invalid or incomplete reporting party information will constitute a false report and not be processed.
Two Ways to Submit the Form:
- Fill out and submit the Online Complaint Form.
- Fill out the Print/Submit Complaint Form. The form can be completed electronically with Adobe Acrobat Reader. (Adobe Acrobat Reader is available free of charge from the Adobe web site.)
Mail forms to:
City of Great Falls
ATTN: Citizen Complaint/Request
PO Box 5021
Great Falls, MT 59403
OR -- Drop off at any City Office (addresses listed below)
City Department Locations:
- Animal Shelter: 1010 25th Ave NE, 59404
- Civic Center: 2 Park Dr S, 59401 (Administration, Finance, GIS, Human Resources, Legal, Mansfield Center, Planning & Community Development, Utility Billing)
- Community Recreation Center: 801 2nd Ave N, 59401
- Fire Department: 105 9th St S, 59401
- Library: 301 2nd Ave N
- Park and Recreation: 1700 River Dr N, 59401
- Police Department: 112 1st St S, 59401
- Public Works: 1005 25th Ave NE, 59404 (Engineering, Streets/Weeds/Potholes, Sanitation, Utilities)
Please Note:
- If this is an immediate safety concern or hazard, refer to the Department Directory and call the department directly.
- For life-threatening emergencies, please call 911.
The DCIP Grant was submitted through joint collaboration of MAFB representatives and the City of Great Falls. Like residents of the City, MAFB Airmen and their dependents will utilize the facility to meet their recreational needs. MAFB and the Montana Air National Guard will also utilize the facility to fulfill water training requirements for pilots.
Parking meters will allow you to park up to 2 hours at a cost of $1.00 per hour. If your meter runs out of time or you exceed the time limit, and you have not received a ticket within the previous 12 months, a courtesy ticket will be issued. For the first offense after a courtesy ticket, the ticket will cost $5.00; the second offense after a courtesy ticket will cost $10, the third will cost $15, and the fourth and subsequent tickets will cost $20. A Handicap Parking ticket is $100.00, and all other types of violations are $20.00 (Fire Hydrant, Wrong Side to curb, End Zone, Boulevard, etc) If you have a question about a parking ticket, please call 406-455-8430.
No. By default, the search results will show matches for any word within the phrase. In this example, you would receive results for all web pages and documents that contained either the word alarm or the word permit or both.
In order to search on an exact phrase, enclose your search phrase in quotations. The search results for "alarm permit" will show matches for that exact phrase.
Block captains serve as the main contact for their neighborhood. They update block maps when a change occurs in the neighborhood, purchase NW signs, and encourage reporting of suspicious activity. They also welcome new residents to the area and share the Operation ID Kit with the NW participants.
