Need a streetlight fixed or pothole filled? There’s an app for that

Chicagoans can now request city services such as filling a pothole, repairing a streetlight or reporting building or restaurant code violations through the city’s first mobile app.

CHI 311 is available for download at the App Store or on Google Play starting Tuesday. The app allows users to navigate through menus of city services available through the city’s 311 system, city officials said Monday. App users can create an account on the app to track the status of their requests and see related requests in the area.

“There are almost 100 different things people can request through the mobile app and the community website,” Department of Innovation and Technology Commissioner Danielle DuMerer said at a press conference.

If you want to request a pothole be filled, you can choose the location on a map, answer a couple questions to provide greater details, upload photos of the pothole and see whether another user has already requested that pothole be repaired. The app also gives users updates on requests, including the estimated time it will take for the city to complete a task.

“Part of the modernization effort is also improving how our departments are delivering services, and this will provide them with increased transparency into what’s happening in different areas,” DuMerer said.

You can also submit requests anonymously.

“We are of course with this type of system balancing between transparency and privacy,” DuMerer said.

Tuesday’s launch of CHI 311 is part of a multi-year, $35 million plan to overhaul the 311 system.

Still, residents will still be able to phone 3-1-1 to make a request, but the app could cut down on how long it takes to get an answer for everyone if more people use it instead.

“We do hope that the overall project will reduce call wait times,” DuMerer said.

Though there will be a limited version of the app available in other languages, DuMerer said the app will be refined and made available in more languages early next year. There will also be trainings on how to use the app at libraries and ward offices.

Chicago was one of the first cities to create a 311 system to divert non-emergency requests away from the 911 call centers.