Permits & Ordinances
No, not for a tree on your own lot. We read the Official Code of the City of Great Falls, Montana on September 29, 2026; the rules start at the boulevard, the sidewalk and the burn pile.
Start Here
In Great Falls, MT, a homeowner can take down a tree on private property, of any size, species or condition, without a permit. Title 12 covers trees the City owns and places where private trees reach public ground. A boxelder over the patio or a spruce against the foundation is yours to remove.
If someone quotes a permit fee for a tree in your own yard, ask which section requires it; we found none. The City Commission can amend Title 12 or Title 8 in any year, so treat this page as a map, not a ruling.
12.15.010 and 12.15.030
Under 12.15.010, the boulevard is the strip between your property line and the street, either side of the sidewalk, and its tree is the City's even though you mow around it. Removal starts with a Park and Recreation application giving the lot, block and street, the reason and a plan.
Park and Recreation recommends within 10 days and the City Manager approves or rejects; a rejected applicant has 15 days to appeal to the City Commission. Under 12.15.030 the City Forester cuts or supervises at the applicant's expense. Under 12.14.030, cutting or injuring a boulevard tree without that authority is unlawful, whoever holds the saw.
We read the walk, curb and survey pins to tell you whose tree it is. Under 12.15.040 the City can also order out a tree damaging a street.
Every Boulevard Removal Is Replaced
Every boulevard tree removed under an approved application is replaced with a 2-inch balled-and-burlapped tree of a species the Park and Recreation Director picks (12.15.010). The applicant maintains it for two calendar years: two summers of watering, two winters of staking against the chinook.
So a boulevard estimate lists the supervised removal, a replacement we can source and plant, and the watering that stays yours.
12.14.010, 12.14.020 and 12.1.030
Under 12.14.010, owners trim their own trees over any street, sidewalk or boulevard so branches do not interfere with pedestrians or traffic. No height is set; the test is whether someone has to duck. Under 12.14.020, hedges may not extend over the sidewalk.
Section 12.1.030 covers corner lots: a clear-vision triangle 45 feet along the back of each curb, open between 3 and 8 feet above the street. Trees with more than 8 feet of clear trunk may stay; the owner trims or removes whatever blocks it. It is the one place the code can order out a tree on your own lot.
8.52: Dutch Elm Disease and Elm Wood
Under chapter 8.52, a diseased or infested tree, or any dead tree or part of one, logs, stumps and firewood included, not disposed of under Park and Recreation rules is a declared nuisance, and the City abates it at the owner's cost. Think of a dead cottonwood out back or ash rounds behind the garage.
Elm has its own rules, because Dutch elm disease is here and American elm is one of the two boulevard trees. Under 8.52.060, diseased elm is destroyed and dead elm with the bark on is debarked or destroyed, since the beetle that carries the fungus breeds under the bark. Under 8.52.090, hauling bark-bearing elm inside the city takes a Park and Recreation permit, with a $250 to $500 fine without one.
We carry that permit. Under 8.11, vegetation over 8 inches is a nuisance weed, so a cleared lot left alone is a problem by July.
8.8.170, 8.48 and the County Permit
Inside the city, chip or haul. Section 8.8.170 says the burning of refuse is prohibited, brush and leaves included, a misdemeanor carrying up to $500 and six months. Under 8.48 the City Manager can restrict even recreational fires during County fire restrictions, an air-quality warning or an active wildfire.
Outside the city, Cascade County requires a Clerk and Recorder burn permit, online or in person, before any pile is lit. It covers vegetative material only, expires December 31, leaves the holder liable for suppression costs, and requires someone on watch until no embers remain. In Chouteau and Teton counties, ask the county and the rural fire district.
8.53.060 and Title 5
Under 8.53.060, ground-maintenance noise is exempt only from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., so saws run inside that window; a midnight emergency is made safe and cut at daylight.
Great Falls does not license tree crews. Title 5 has the general business licence and nothing on arborists, so there is no city credential to show. Ask for a certificate of liability insurance instead; ours comes to every estimate.
Cascade County and neighbors
| Town | Tree-removal permit on a home lot? | What we found | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belt, MT (incorporated town, Cascade County) and Cascade, MT (incorporated town, Cascade County) | Own town ordinances; no home-lot tree permit found. | Own code, separate from Great Falls. Not read section by section. | Call the town office before cutting near a street or lighting a pile. |
| Fort Benton, MT (Chouteau County seat, incorporated) | Own city ordinances; no home-lot tree permit found. | A city with a code of its own. Not read section by section. | Check with the city office. |
| Dutton, MT and Fairfield, MT (incorporated towns, Teton County) | Own town ordinances; no home-lot tree permit found. | Each is incorporated with its own ordinances. Not read section by section. | Check with the town office. |
| Black Eagle, Gibson Flats, Tracy, Sand Coulee, Centerville, Stockett, Ulm, Vaughn, Sun River, Fort Shaw, Simms, Monarch (unincorporated, Cascade County) | No permit for a private tree. | Cascade County governs; no county tree permit found. City rules stop at the limits. | County burn permit and fire district rules apply; ask the county about road right-of-way. |
| Carter, Highwood (unincorporated, Chouteau County) | No permit for a private tree. | No city code applies; Chouteau County governs. | Ask Chouteau County and the fire district about burn permits and road right-of-way. |
| Power (unincorporated, Teton County) | No permit for a private tree. | No city code applies; Teton County governs. | Ask Teton County and the fire district about burn permits and road right-of-way. |
Our Part
No. The city code requires no permit for a tree on private property, whatever its size or species. Its one removal section, 12.15.010, covers boulevard trees, which need a Park and Recreation application, City Manager approval, the City Forester's supervision and a 2-inch replacement.
Inside Great Falls, no: 8.8.170 bans burning refuse, brush and leaves included, so we chip and haul. Outside the city, a Cascade County burn permit from the Clerk and Recorder comes first, for vegetative material only, with someone watching until no embers remain.
For a tree from your own lot that landed on your lot, nothing. A boulevard tree was the City's, so what remains still goes through Park and Recreation (12.15.010). Either way it cannot be left lying (8.52), and elm must be debarked or destroyed. Photograph the damage, stay clear of lines, and call.
Re-verify yearly: next check due September 2027, or sooner if the City amends Title 12 or Title 8.
Your own lot needs no permit; the free estimate checks every other rule against the current code.
Type your town or ZIP, say Belt or 59405, and see whether the Electric City truck runs there.