In Los Angeles, going through the trouble to get a pothole filled isn’t something most people would think about. Before now, you would have to navigate a maze of city phone numbers just to report the problem, and there was no guarantee that the city would ever fill the hole.
Now, the MyLA311 app gives you a direct line with the city that allows you to put in service requests without having to call or visit an office. And from my experience, the city actually responds to these requests.
I noticed a pretty bad pothole near my apartment in Mid-City, and like any work-from-home person who spends a bit too much time on my block, I decided I would be the one to do something about it.
I’ve read on Reddit that the city follows up on repair requests made with My LA 311 app, so I downloaded the app and sent in a pothole repair request.
Around a week and a half after I sent in the request, the city filled the pothole. If there’s a pothole in your area and you’re thinking about using the MyLA311 app to get it fixed, give this a try.
My local pothole
Just big enough to pop a tire or blow a strut. If it’s worth dodging, it’s worth filling
My local pothole showed up on a freshly repaved street not long after resurfacing work had been done. It wasn’t the biggest pothole around, but it was deep enough to make it feel like you’d blow a strut or pop a tire if you hit it going faster then 5 mph. I got so used to driving around it that I could dodge it without looking.
This pothole was enough of a menace to motivate me to give the My LA 311 app a try.
LA city fixed the pothole a week and a half after I sent in a repair request with the MyLA311 app
It’s filled! Only took a week and a half. (That’s good)
I downloaded the app and followed the instructions to submit a pothole repair request. The app gives you a service request number to reference if you decide to follow up with the city, but I wanted to see if the system would work without any follow-up from me.
The city came and filled the pothole around 10 days after I submitted the request, and I didn’t even have to follow up or badger any city employees. I’m impressed.
How to get potholes fixed with the MyLA311 App
- Download the MyLA311 App. It’s available for Android and iOS
- Select “Create a Service Request”
- On the “Select Service Type” screen, scroll down to the “Street Problems/Repairs” section and select “Pothole – Small asphalt repair”
- Enter the location of the pothole. You’ll be asked to select the location on a map. Tap and hold to change the location of the marker
- Complete the Details section – Select where the pothole is: In a street, or in an alley
- Enter your contact info (optional) – I chose not to enter my contact info. For my first attempt, I wanted to get away with as little communication as possible
- Enter a photo (optional) – I sent in a good photo that showed where the pothole was on the street
- Enter Comments (optional) – Describe the pothole and location in words. I didn’t write in a description because I thought it was obvious
- Select “Submit,” and take note of your service request number
Pictures of important steps
MyLA311 app home screen. Surprisingly decent looking for a city website
Scroll down the giant list of options to find pothole repair
Only Location and Details are required
Make sure to note your service request number so you can follow up if necessary
You can request other services and report other problems with My LA 311
You can report problems to the city or request just about any service using the app, so if you ever have an issue that you think the city might be involved with, check the app.
- Large item removal, electronic waste removal
- Grafitti removal
- Dead animal removal
- Report illegal activity
- Report homeless encampments, request cleanup
- Report noise problems
- Report fallen trees
- Report flooding
Other app features
- Get city info
- City service directory
- City bill pay
- Get City Hall news
- Report minimum wage violations
Mark Panitz says
yes i have used it frequently for bulky item pickups and cracked sidewalks
DougH says
I think the next time I use it will be to get some big trash removed.