Relevance of the work is caused by the necessity of implementing biologically significant pollution methods to control urban environment. High level of anthropogenic stress in urban areas determines the demand for application of objective methods to assess the current state of the environment and trends of ecological situation evolution in future. The aim of the work is to assess the environmental pollution with heavy metals in Kazakhstan urboecosystems using leaves of trees and shrubs. Methods. In some large cities of Kazakhstan the urban areas with different types of functional pressure were investigated. Leaves sampling was carried out using the averaged sample method in the bottom of the tree or shrub crown to its outer side circumferentially, at the end of the vegetation (August-September). Washed samples of leaves were brought to the air-dry state and autoclaved. Ash content of leaves of plants was determined using the combusting technique. Determination of the chemical elements in leaves was carried out by atomic absorption, atomic emission and mass spectrometric methods. Results. The authors have studied the potential of bioindication of tree and shrub leaves in relation to heavy metals. A wide range of plant species growing in cities of Kazakhstan with different sources of pollution was analyzed. The content of elements such as zinc, lead, cadmium, copper, chromium, barium and uranium in plant leaves of Kazakhstan cities exceeds their background values as well as percentage abundance of terrestrial vegetation. Leaves of the studied plants growing in urban areas with the high industrial and traffic load accumulate more chemical elements in comparison with residential and recreational areas of the cities, which is also correlated with the value of their ash content. Uniqueness of different species of plant leaves to accumulation of heavy metals has been determined. Based on the obtained data some species of trees and shrubs, which leaves can be applied for diagnosis of urban ecosystems pollution with heavy metals, could be suggested for bioindication. The significant result of the paper is to determine the conditionally ambient levels of elements for the studied region.