311 in California is a non-emergency number that connects you to your city’s service center for things like potholes, graffiti, illegal dumping, broken streetlights, and abandoned vehicles. It’s run city by city rather than by the state, so what you get when you dial 3-1-1 depends on where you live. In the cities that offer it, you can reach a live operator by phone, or file the same request through a web portal or mobile app.
What You Can Report
311 handles routine city maintenance, the kind of problem that needs attention but isn’t an emergency. The common categories look much the same from one city to the next:
- Potholes, cracked pavement, and sinkholes.
- Illegal dumping of furniture, tires, construction debris, or trash on public property. Under Penal Code 374.3, illegal dumping is an infraction with a mandatory fine of $250 to $1,000 for a first offense, and higher penalties for repeat and commercial-scale dumping.
- Graffiti on public surfaces, and in many cities, private property facing the street.
- Burned-out or flickering streetlights.
- Abandoned vehicles. A car left in the same spot on a public street for 72 or more consecutive hours can be towed under California Vehicle Code 22651(k), and a 311 report starts that clock.
- Cracked, lifted, or uneven sidewalks.
- Overgrown tree branches blocking signs, sidewalks, or streetlights.
Filing a report does two things. It gets the problem into the city’s work queue, and it puts the city on notice that a hazard exists. That second part matters later if someone gets hurt and a claim gets filed.
311 or 911
The rule is simple. If someone is in danger right now, call 911. If the problem can wait hours or days, call 311. A pothole that might damage a tire tomorrow is 311. A downed power line arcing in the street is 911. Graffiti on a wall is 311. A fight on the sidewalk is 911.
This isn’t just etiquette. California Penal Code 653x makes it a misdemeanor to call 911 with intent to annoy or harass, punishable by up to six months in county jail and a $1,000 fine, and a court can order the caller to reimburse the cost of the emergency response. A separate statute, Penal Code 148.3, covers knowingly making a false emergency report to any city, county, or state agency; a first offense is a misdemeanor carrying up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine, and if someone is seriously hurt or killed as a result, it becomes a felony with state prison time and fines up to $10,000.1California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 148.3 – False Report of Emergency
If you’re not sure whether your situation qualifies as an emergency, call 311 first. The operator can transfer you to emergency services if the situation calls for it.
Which California Cities Have 311
Because 311 is a city service, coverage is uneven. The big cities all run active systems:
- Los Angeles operates MyLA311 by phone, web, and mobile app, covering graffiti, potholes, bulky-item pickup, and dozens of other categories.2City of Los Angeles. MyLA311
- San Francisco’s SF311 Customer Service Center runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by phone, web, and app.3SF.gov. 311 Customer Service Center
- Sacramento offers 311 by phone, email, web portal, and app for potholes, abandoned vehicles, illegal dumping, and general inquiries.4City of Sacramento. 311 Service Center
- San José’s 311 system runs through a website and mobile app for abandoned vehicles, graffiti, streetlights, and potholes.5City of San José. San Jose 311
- San Diego uses a platform called Get It Done as its 311 equivalent, covering potholes, graffiti, parking violations, and park maintenance.6City of San Diego. Get It Done
If you live in a smaller city or an unincorporated county area, 311 may not reach a service center. You’ll need to call your city or county’s main administrative line instead, or look up the specific department (public works, code enforcement, animal services) on the county website.
How to File a Report
Most California 311 systems let you submit a request three ways: by phone to a live operator, through a mobile app, or on a web portal. The apps generally let you take a photo, auto-tag the location by GPS, and submit in a few taps.2City of Los Angeles. MyLA311
Whichever route you take, have these ready:
- The exact street address or nearest intersection. Mobile apps usually handle this through GPS.
- A clear description, including size or severity. “Large pothole spanning the right lane” tells a crew what equipment to bring.
- A photo if you can get one. It speeds up intake and lets crews size up the job before they arrive.
- Your contact information. Most systems accept anonymous reports, but giving a phone number or email lets the city follow up if an inspector can’t find the problem. Without it, a request that hits a snag often just gets closed.
Tracking What You Submitted
Each report generates a unique service request number.7City of Riverside. 311 Save it. You can use it to check status on the same app or portal, or by reading it to an operator on the phone.
Cities assign a priority and usually post an estimated timeframe. A residential streetlight might take a week or two. A pothole on a busy arterial tends to move faster. If a request stalls or gets closed without the work actually being done, the tracking number lets you reopen or escalate it rather than starting over.
When a 311 Report Becomes Evidence
If a pothole or other road hazard damages your vehicle, you can file a formal claim against the city or county that maintains the road. California gives you six months from the incident to file.8California Courts Self Help. Ask a Government Agency To Pay You by a Deadline Miss it and the claim is almost certainly dead no matter how strong your evidence.
The claim is a written document filed with the city clerk’s office. Under Government Code Section 910, it has to include your name and address, the date and location, a description of the damage, the name of any city employee involved if you know it, and the dollar amount you’re claiming. Repair estimates, photos of the hazard and the damage, and any dashcam footage strengthen it. The city then has 45 days to accept, reject, or let the deadline lapse, which counts as a rejection. If it’s rejected, you can file a lawsuit.
To win, Government Code Section 835 requires you to show the city either created the dangerous condition or knew about it and had enough time to fix it before your incident.9California Legislative Information. California Code Government Code 835 – Liability for Dangerous Condition of Property That’s where earlier 311 reports about the same pothole, filed by you or by someone else, carry real weight. They’re documented notice.
Language Help
Under California’s Dymally-Alatorre Bilingual Services Act, a local agency serving a substantial number of non-English speakers, defined as 5 percent or more of the people a local office serves, has to provide services in those languages and staff public-contact positions accordingly.10California Legislative Information. California Code Government Code – Dymally-Alatorre Bilingual Services Act Major-city 311 call centers offer interpretation in dozens of languages. If you need help in a language other than English, ask the operator for an interpreter.
Privacy
What you submit through 311 generally becomes a public record under the California Public Records Act. Your name, the description, the location, and any photos can be disclosed if someone files a records request. Several cities allow anonymous reporting for exactly this reason. Anonymous submission limits the city’s ability to follow up with you, but for a complaint about a neighbor or a code enforcement issue where you’d rather not be named, a web or app submission tends to leave less of a trail than a phone call where your number may be logged.