311 (telephone number)

The telephone number 3-1-1 creates a central hub for local subscribers to access a variety of city services.

It is intended, in part, to divert routine inquiries and non-urgent community concerns from the 9-1-1 number which is reserved for emergency service.

[3] The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) reserved the use of 3-1-1 for non-emergency municipal services throughout Canada[4] on 5 November 2004.

Examples of calls intended for 3-1-1 include: On March 3, 2010, the Federal Chief Information Officer of the United States, Vivek Kundra, announced the creation of a uniform Open 311 application programming interface for these services.

[9] The online 311 service SeeClickFix, which partners with news organizations to promote reported issues, is available across the United States but does not connect to municipalities with[dubious – discuss] their permission or knowledge except in a few select cases.

3-1-1 is available in several major American cities, including: 3-1-1 is also available in an increasing number of US counties and smaller towns, for example: The service is available in the following communities (with starting date): Places such as Panama, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica have implemented nationwide 311 centers.

In the Republic of Panama, the Centro de Atencion Ciudadana (3-1-1)[26] is legally responsible for the centralized reception of citizen complaints, requests, suggestions and consultations to government agencies or municipalities.

In order to curb this problem, which ties up precious resources, a committee proposes that Finland launch a new telephone number—116 115—for such calls.

This experience tested and proved the value of the program and Orange County immediately activated the 3-1-1 number for governmental customer service.

[30] In the city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, 3-1-1 is also used to find lost pets, get answers to questions about taxes, complain about needed roadway maintenance, get information about flood conditions, make non-emergency police reports, and other government services.

These requests include but are not limited to: missed rubbish collection, graffiti removal, License & Inspection inquiries, and pothole repairs.