If, in the past, you’ve tried to call a City department, say to get a pothole fixed… only to find that the department you called referred you to another department who referred you to another department who referred you to another department that referred you back to the original department you called, you might have lost faith and decided that you were dealing with a bunch of incompetent individuals. But the City has 2,300 different departments, and frankly, not all know what the other ones are supposed to do.

However, in March of 2007, San Francisco launched 311 which gives you access to ALL 2,300 departments by dialing a single number. 311 is available 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Are you driving by some graffitti and want to report it? Call 311. Do you see litter that needs to be removed? Call 311. Need MUNI route information? Need to find how to get a business license? A marriage license? Or a dog license? Call 311!

I called the other day to find out where to get more of the City’s prepaid parking meter cards, and found that you can buy them online! I call several times a week (especially on Tuesdays when I’m driving through the neighborhoods looking at real estate for sale) to report graffitti. And when I needed to find out how to get a permit to plant a tree outside of my home, 311 put me in touch with the right people too!

Other major metropolitan areas have adopted this number too for similar purposes, but not all offer it around the clock, every day of the year. The key to success with any task is knowing who to call to get the information you need… if you need real estate information, call me! If you need San Francisco City information, call 311!