Missoula Cleanups Remove 31,000 Pounds of Trash
Parks and Recreation completed nineteen homeless encampment cleanup days in 2026 at a cost of $39,442.16.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Camping
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Missoula Parks and Recreation completed nineteen homeless encampment cleanup days in 2026, collecting over 31,000 pounds of trash. The cleanups followed the city's urban camping ordinance, passed in June 2024 and amended in December 2024 to outlaw camping in city parks.
Why it matters
The effort reflects the city's enforcement approach to encampments in parks and along the Clark Fork River, and a new three-person parks board subcommittee will now oversee the camp cleanup enforcement. The work is costly and resource-intensive, requiring staff diverted from other park projects.
Parks and Recreation cleanups in 2026 totaled nineteen days and over 31,000 pounds of trash, at a cost of $39,442.16. Missoula Police cited 172 people for illegal urban camping in 2025, and an additional 62 people had been ticketed by April 2026.
The players
Missoula Parks and Recreation
The city department responsible for maintaining Missoula's parks, which organizes the camp cleanups and has long conducted park cleanups in the Clark Fork River area.
Missoula Police Department
The city's police agency, which is present at camp cleanups and cited 172 people for illegal urban camping in 2025.
The details
Most cleanups are centered near the Clark Fork River, including the Clark Fork Natural Area, Broadway Island, McCormick Park, Downtown Lions Park and the Kim Williams Trail. Planning a single cleanup takes one to two weeks and requires Missoula Police Department presence and specialized equipment, and some cleanups have been canceled due to a lack of available staff.
Timeline
June 2024: City passed urban camping ordinance 12.60.
December 2024: Ordinance amended to outlaw camping in city parks.
2025: Police cited 172 people for illegal urban camping.
April 2026: Police had ticketed an additional 62 people for urban camping.
2026: Parks and Recreation completed nineteen cleanup days.
Outdoor Access
The cleanups are the operational result of Missoula's urban camping ordinance 12.60, which the city passed in June 2024 and amended in December 2024 to outlaw camping in city parks. The enforcement work now affects how residents and visitors use the Clark Fork River corridor and other city parks.
Residents who use the Clark Fork River trails and city parks may see cleanup crews and police presence at encampment sites. The enforcement program also includes a vehicle permitting system that allows people to legally live in vehicles under the ordinance.
The takeaway
The 2026 cleanups show that encampment enforcement in Missoula carries significant staffing and cost demands. Readers who use city parks should expect continued enforcement under the amended ordinance.
Further reading
For more on outdoor spaces and rules for them, explore our Camping section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Montana Standard.
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