MISSOULA — City of Missoula crews will begin fall leaf pickup on Monday, October 30, and plan to have the work completed on November 22, 2023.
Crews will start in the neighborhoods north of the Clark Fork River during the first week.
Those neighborhoods include the Rattlesnake Valley and Grant Creek, along with most of the north side of downtown and the West Side and North Side areas.
Crews will then move to central Missoula south of the river (Area 2) and throughout the city through Nov. 22.
The schedule starts in older neighborhoods with mature trees and the highest volume of leaves with the expectation that crews can return to those neighborhoods at the end of the season if weather permits.
People can also take their leaves to Garden City Compost at no charge from Oct. 30 through Nov. 22. Click here or call 406-552-6619 for more details.
Click here to view a map of the Missoula leaf collection areas.
City officials note that if snowfall disrupts the schedule, crews will be diverted to plow snow but will return to leaf collection as soon as possible.
Updates to the schedule will be posted at https://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/3069/Leaf-Collection and the Public Works & Mobility Department’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
Residents who miss their neighborhood’s scheduled pickup time can call 406-552-6360 to be placed on a list for another collection time, as weather permits and after all areas are completed.
City crews depend on residents to make the leaf collection process work, so we ask the following:
- Please rake leaves to the curb in the parking lane but not out into the bike lane or driving lane. If there is not a parking lane, please rake leaves to the curb but do not use more than half of the bike lane. Make piles long and narrow.
- Ensure leaves do not block any stormwater inlets, especially if it's raining or snowing because the stormwater will not be able to filter through the leaves to reach the storm drain and could cause standing water or ice on the street.
- Please complete raking before your pickup week starts. Crews may visit your street on the first day. They will then move on through the area.
- When parking, please allow room for Streets Division crews to get to leaf piles with front-end loaders and trucks. See the Leaf Collection web page for parking instructions in Special Districts during leaf collection.
- Leaves only, please. Debris and limbs delay leaf pickup and can damage our equipment.
- Trees must be pruned to a minimum of 14 feet over the street to the inside edge of the curb line. If your trees do not meet this requirement, they may have to be trimmed by City crews so that we can complete leaf collection.
- Street sweepers will come through after leaf collection, as weather permits.
