2025 Annual Leaf Pickup Program

CITY OF GREAT FALLS, MONTANA

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: October 17, 2025

CONTACT: Todd Seymanski, City Forester -

(406) 771-1265

2025 ANNUAL FALL LEAF PICKUP PROGRAM

Great Falls, Montana – The City of Great Falls Leaf Pickup Program in the Boulevard District begins the week of October 27th and runs through the week of December 5th. As always, the pickup schedule is subject to change due to weather conditions, possible equipment failure, personnel availability, or unforeseeable emergencies.

During the week of October 20th, crews will be conducting equipment tests in preparation for the Annual Fall Leaf Pickup Program. You may notice them in your neighborhood collecting leaf piles that have already been placed out. Please note: This is not the official start of the pickup program, and crews will not be able to respond to individual pickup requests during this testing period. The purpose of this week is solely to ensure all equipment is fully operational ahead of the program launch. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to serving you throughout the season.

Due to staffing changes beyond our control, we’re unable to provide a fixed leaf pickup schedule with specific dates for each area. Our available crews have been reduced, and as a result, service will proceed in a modified format. Crews will begin in Area 1 starting the week of October 27th, and crews will continue working sequentially through the remaining areas. We appreciate your understanding as we work to provide this service with limited resources.

To help residents stay informed:

• Every Friday, the Park and Recreation Department will announce the starting area for the following week via the Park and Recreation website and the Park and Recreation Facebook page.
• The interactive Boulevard District tracking map will be available for citizens to see up-to-date routes that have been completed by the crews and the area they are currently working in. This link will be available on the Park and Recreation website and on relevant social media posts.

There are changes to this year’s leaf pickup process, so please take note. For those residing within the Boulevard District, your leaves will be vacuumed from the boulevards. There will be no manual raking. Please use the following tips for leaf placement:

• Place your leaf piles on the boulevard, next to the curb, on the street side of your boulevard residence. Do not place leaves on the sidewalk or in the street gutter, as rain, snow, and vehicles driving on the piles make it impossible to pick up the leaves.
• Do not place leaves around parked vehicles, as the machines need a minimum of two feet of clearance around of any obstacle.
• Do not place leaves around tree bases, signs, light poles, or any other obstacles.
• If you bagged your leaves, these will be collected at a later time by staff as time allows throughout the Leaf Pickup Program.

Leaf piles that include branches, grass clippings, garden waste, and pet waste cause damage to the equipment and will not be picked up. Please arrange for pickup of those items with your sanitation provider. Please have all leaves raked out to the boulevard by 7 a.m. on Monday of your scheduled week. Due to the staff shortage, if leaves are not ready when crews go through your area, the crews and vehicles will not backtrack for collection. There will be no second pass throughs during this leaf pickup.

Due to being understaffed this year, leaf pickup will be managed under two crews compared to the usual three. Because of this change, if your residence is located on the left-hand side of a one-way road in any of the areas, your residence will not follow the posted schedule. These addresses will be picked up intermittently throughout the Leaf Pickup schedule, either during your scheduled area week or afterwards, due to the complexity of the equipment. Please remove vehicles from the roadways on the scheduled pickup week to allow for vacuuming as well as street sweeping. The Forestry Division hours of operation are 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., Monday – Friday.

For further information please call the Park and Recreation office at 406-771-1265, check the City website, or check the Park and Recreation Facebook page regularly for updates.

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