Dallas 3-1-1: See It, Own It
Many residential complaints surface during neighborhood association meetings and the most notable – and correct – response is: "Report it to Dallas 3-1-1." If you've never used the free service, here's an easy primer to get you started.
Dallas 3-1-1 is essentially a resource hub for City services and answers to questions residents might have about various issues from property easement lines to a neighbor's grass that's too tall. These are the non-emergency concerns that many folks either pay little mind to or simply don't know how to tackle. If you dare, visit a thread on the neighborhood app Nextdoor or nextdoor.com and you'll see that many of the complaints there can be addressed by contacting Dallas 3-1-1, yet a surprisingly low number of people mention it. The City is hoping to change that.
You can contact the City of Dallas 3-1-1 services in one of three ways:
By Phone
Simply call 3-1-1 when inside Dallas' city limits. You may also access Dallas 3-1-1 by calling (214) 670-3111 from any location.
Online
Visit - Dallas 311 Request a Service
Mobile Application
Download the Dallas 311 mobile app (click an icon below)
Over the last few years, the online and app services have undergone some revisions and adjustments and these latest iterations are the most comprehensive versions to date. Most importantly, the website and application have been translated to Spanish.
So what does Dallas 3-1-1 help with?
Dallas 3-1-1 receives questions and complaints and forwards the information to the appropriate City department for handling. The most common issues are reports regarding:
Sanitation
Code
Parking
Animals
City parks and trails
Environmental concerns
Homeless encampments
Streets (potholes, alleys)
Traffic signals
Housing complaints
Water and other line locations
There are subcategories within each topic to help you target the specific problem and allow staff members to assign it to the right department. Please note that the 3-1-1 staff members do not perform any of the corrective measures themselves. For example, if a neighbor has grass and weeds growing too high, you can report this and Dallas 3-1-1 will alert Code Compliance. That department will handle the complaint and subsequent follow-up. You can receive updates to your service request and know whether the issue was observed and corrected.
Want to see the service in action? You can view all active complaints here.
Here is a video of how the service works using the mobile application (app). Note that the app depicted in the video has since been updated to the current Dallas 3-1-1 app. You can upload photos and the app will use your geo-location to verify the specific address or intersection you are reporting.
The following screenshots show a parking issue that was addressed using the app. The vehicle was parked in the same spot for weeks with at least two flat tires. Another involved a pile of trash on someone's property that was visible from the alley.
You can make Dallas 3-1-1 even better
A few months ago, a resident alerted us to his frustrations using Dallas 3-1-1 about trash left behind the Walgreens just north of Bachman Lake on Northwest Highway. His repeated requests were not fully addressed so he reached out to Friends of Bachman Lake who alerted Council Member Omar Narvaez's office. The Council Member took an interest in the complaint and provided the necessary follow-up to get the garbage cleaned up. It's not always the preferred way but sometimes engaging your City Council representative provides the needed urgency. In this case, the mislabeling/categorization of the area in question made it difficult to assign to a specific deparment until it was determined who was responsible for that parcel of land. It turned out to be city park land. This is how community input can help fix the imperfections in our systems, one observation at a time. It's also worth noting that Council Member Narvaez's office has asked his constituents to email his office with the request number of any 3-1-1 complaint that has not been resolved adequately or has run into roadblocks.
More than just a number to contact
You might have questions about applying for permits or other services that are not necessarily complaints you wish to file. There is a knowledge section in the Dallas 3-1-1 ecosystem (online and in the mobile app) for you to find out more about various City departments and services. And speaking of mobile, the City Hall on the Go! program brings City services to your neighborhood using a mobile unit. You can apply for permits, pay city bills and learn more about the multitude of services available to you. These mobile events are held throughout each month. You can check the calendar here.
There are many moving parts in the machine that runs a city like Dallas. A better Dallas starts with active residents. Take advantage of all that's available to you. There will always be hiccups and missteps but taking to an online forum to complain only creates an echo chamber of frustration. You're well within your rights to do so, but also consider contacting the people who can do something about it. If you don't know where to start, Dallas 3-1-1 was made just for you.