Harris County launches first unified 311 system for residents

A pothole, a blocked roadway or storm debris complaint in unincorporated Harris County now has one place to go. Judge Lina Hidalgo announced the county’s first unified 311 system, a 24/7 phone and web-based service meant to help residents, business owners and visitors reach the right county department without sorting through a maze of offices.

The county says the system is for non-emergency service requests and government information in areas outside City of Houston jurisdiction and across unincorporated Harris County. Through the 311 Unified Service Catalog, users can browse categories and subcategories to match a problem to the correct type of case, whether the issue is a pothole, a traffic obstruction, a road closure, road and bridge maintenance, storm debris removal, or traffic and park maintenance.

For residents trying to judge whether the rollout is working, the clearest test is whether the county can keep routing complaints accurately and keep the line open when demand spikes. Harris County said the system began as a call center with 20 departments online, then expanded into Phase 3 by June 17, 2025 with a multilingual self-service web portal, the Unified Service Catalog and round-the-clock operations. County officials said the system proved especially useful during Hurricane Beryl, when it fielded more than 3,700 hurricane-related calls over a two-month period and provided information on cooling centers, debris removal, FEMA resources and storm recovery needs.

Hidalgo’s office has tied 311 to her broader transparency push. The county said its open transition process included seven town halls, more than 200 community organizations and 11,000 survey responses, and that residents specifically asked for a 3-1-1 line that would make government easier to reach.

The county says the service is still a work in progress, with some departments already listed and others still being added. Residents can reach it by dialing 311, calling 713-755-5000 or using the web portal. For a county that often sends people across multiple departments and precinct boundaries, the real measure will be whether 311 turns a complaint into action without forcing people to start over.