🍂 Fall Leaf Pickup in Fargo-Moorhead

You raked. Now what? Each of the three cities handles leaves differently: one picks them up in the fall, one never picks them up, and one only takes paper bags. Here's each city.

Check the city for exact dates. Pickup windows shift with the weather. We explain the rules, and each city posts its own schedule (links below). Rules last checked against the cities' own pages: September 30, 2026.

Fargo

Curbside fall pickup from late October through mid-November. Bags or cans on the boulevard, at least 5 feet from your garbage cart.

Fargo details

West Fargo

No curbside pickup. Take leaves to one of four drop-off sites, and dump them out of plastic bags.

West Fargo drop-off sites

Moorhead

Curbside on garbage day through the third full week of November. No plastic bags: paper or certified compostable only.

Moorhead details

Fargo

Does Fargo pick up leaves?

Yes, in the fall. From late October through mid-November, city crews collect yard waste from the boulevard. Put it in bags or cans, at least 5 feet away from your garbage cart.[1] The city's page doesn't list exact start and end dates, so watch for its announcement or call Solid Waste at 701.241.1449.

What counts as yard waste?

Grass clippings, leaves, garden trimmings, and excess fruit and vegetable scraps. Branches don't. The Forestry Department's boulevard branch pickup ran every other week from May through the last full week of September, and Fargo residents can haul brush and branches to the Fargo Landfill at no charge.[1]

Can't wait? Drop-off sites

Fargo's drop sites take yard waste from spring through fall. At the site, empty your bags into the container and put the plastic bags in the separate bin for them; don't toss the bags in.[1] These sites take yard waste:[2]

North Fargo
  • Longfellow Park - Elm St & Forest Ave N
  • Waste Water Plant - 10th St & 37th Ave N
  • North Coliseum - 10th St, north of 17th Ave N
  • Solid Waste Department - 2301 8th Ave N
  • Mickelson Field - 9th Ave N, east of Oak St
South Fargo
  • Lift Station - 42nd St & 2nd Ave SW
  • Lewis & Clark School - 17th St & 18th Ave S
  • Rheault Farm - 25th St & 30th Ave S
  • Park District Maintenance - 4515 University Dr S
  • Centennial Area - 25th St & 40th Ave S
  • Shanley High School - 5600 25th St S
  • Osgood Fire Station - 3957 Village Ln (north side)
  • Deer Creek - 5400 63rd St S
  • 13th Ave & 25th St S (lot near Fargo Cass Public Health and CVS)

Not every drop site takes yard waste. Cash Wise, Lincoln School, Anderson Lift Station, and the Household Hazardous Waste Facility are recycling only.[2]

Can't do the raking or hauling?

Fargo has a yard waste collection service for seniors and residents with disabilities. Call Solid Waste at 701.241.1449.[1]

West Fargo

Does West Fargo pick up leaves?

No. The City of West Fargo doesn't collect yard waste or compost at the curb. Leaves go to a drop-off site instead.[3]

Where are the drop-off sites?

Open spring through fall:[3]

  • Department of Sanitation - 117 8th St W
  • Eagle Run Water Tower - 40th Ave S & Sheyenne St
  • 17th St E, between 2nd Ave E and Starr Ave
  • Transfer Station - 1620 Main Ave W (Mon-Fri 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Sat 9 a.m.-1 p.m.)

Bag rules

Empty the leaves out and take your plastic bags home. The city says plastic contaminates the compost. Brush, branches, and bushes aren't yard waste in West Fargo; branches have their own curbside program (by request, through October 31). Call Public Works at 701-515-5400 to schedule it.[3]

Moorhead

Does Moorhead pick up leaves?

Yes, on your regular garbage day, from the third full week of April through the third full week of November. Put it at the curb (not in the street) the night before or by 5 a.m. on collection day.[4]

What bags can I use?

Not plastic. Moorhead takes paper lawn bags, compostable bags that are BPI-certified and meet ASTM D6400, or reusable cans up to 32 gallons. Each bag or can has to be 30 pounds or less.[4]

Drop-off

The compost site at 1800 Hwy 75 N (just north of the Centennial Park baseball fields) is open Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-4:15 p.m. and Saturday 8-11:45 a.m., from mid-April until the Saturday before Thanksgiving, weather permitting. Call ahead at 218.979.9516. There are also dumpsters at Woodlawn Point (418 Elm St), the Public Works Shop (700 15th Ave N), and the Resource Recovery Center (3322 15th Ave N).[4]

Before the snow flies

Leaves are one fall chore. The lawn has its own, like the last fertilizer of the year, on the lawn care dashboard. Once the leaves are gone, it's time to learn the snow emergency parking rules.

References

  1. City of Fargo - Yard Waste (Solid Waste)
  2. City of Fargo - Drop Sites
  3. City of West Fargo - Compost, Yard and Organic Waste
  4. City of Moorhead - Yard Waste and Brush

Spot something out of date? Schedules change, and we'd rather hear it from you than get it wrong. Let us know.

More for Fargo-Moorhead

Is It Recycling Week? Which recycling week is it in Fargo, West Fargo, or Moorhead? Your next curbside pickup by garbage day and holiday schedule changes - from each city's 2026 calendar. Lawn Care Dashboard When to mow, fertilize, and apply pre-emergent for Fargo-Moorhead lawns, based on real soil and air temperature data from NDAWN. Snow Emergency Parking Rules Do you need to move your car? Snow emergency parking rules, fines, and plow trackers for Fargo, West Fargo, and Moorhead - sourced from each city.