What Is 311 and When Should You Use It Instead of 911?

The catch is that 311 does not exist everywhere. It is a local service, not a national one, and plenty of towns and rural counties have never activated it.

311 vs 911 vs the police non emergency line

Number	What it is for	Example
911	Emergencies: danger to life, crime in progress, fire, medical.	Someone is breaking into a car right now.
311	City services and non urgent municipal problems. In some cities it also takes non urgent police calls.	A car has been abandoned on your street for a week.
Police non emergency line	Police matters that are not emergencies, handled directly by the department.	Your garage was broken into last night and the burglar is long gone.

What 311 typically handles

• Potholes, damaged pavements and broken streetlights.
• Missed rubbish collection and bulk item pickup.
• Abandoned vehicles and illegal dumping.
• Code enforcement: overgrown lots, unpermitted work, derelict buildings.
• Graffiti removal and park maintenance.
• Noise and nuisance complaints, in cities that route them there.
• General questions about city services, permits and offices.

Where 311 also takes police calls

Some large cities deliberately route non urgent police reports through 311 to keep pressure off 911. Chicago is the best known example: its 311 centre takes reports for incidents that have already happened with no suspect on scene. Las Vegas, New York, Los Angeles and Houston all run 311 services with varying degrees of police involvement.

In those cities, 311 and the police non emergency line may reach the same call centre. In others they are completely separate, and 311 will simply transfer you or give you the police number.

If your city does not have 311

Then there is no shortcut, and this is the part that surprises people: there is no nationwide non emergency number in the United States. Every police department, sheriff’s office and state police agency publishes its own ten digit line, and they are all different.

That is what this directory is for. You can look up your city and get the non emergency number, the address and the official website of the agency that covers you, checked against that agency’s own site.

Other three digit numbers worth knowing

Number	What it reaches
988	Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Free, 24/7, nationwide.
211	Health and human services referrals: food, housing, utility help.
511	Traffic and road conditions.
811	Call before you dig, to have underground utility lines marked.

Unlike 311, 988 and 211 are nationwide. If the situation is a mental health crisis rather than a police matter, 988 is usually the better call.

Still not sure?

If the question is really about whether something is serious enough for 911, we have a longer guide on when to call 911 vs the non emergency police number. And if the problem is a noisy neighbour specifically, see who to call about a noise complaint.

The three numbers, in one line each

Frequently asked questions

Does 311 work everywhere in the United States?

No. 311 is a local service that each city or county chooses to run, not a national one. Many towns and rural counties have never activated it, and there is no nationwide non emergency number to fall back on.

Is 311 free to call?

Yes, in the cities that operate it. Some also take the same requests through an app or a website, which is often faster than waiting on hold.

What if I call 311 and it turns out to be an emergency?

Hang up and call 911. Call takers will redirect you if they realise mid call, but the fastest route to an emergency response is always 911 directly.