Notes / 311 / Backlog

Is Richmond’s 311 backlog growing or shrinking?

Last revised: July 2026.

The City opens and closes thousands of 311 requests every month. The backlog is what’s left over: the gap between what comes in and what gets cleared, accumulated over time.

What’s in Play Each Month

All departments, all request ages. Last 6 fully-elapsed months — the current month is excluded because it’s still accumulating. Every request is split two ways: whether it was already backlog coming into the month or opened fresh that month, and whether it closed by month’s end or is still open. A request that stays open moves from “new” into “backlog” in the following month’s bar — it’s the same rolling stock shown from month to month, not four separate counts.

How One Ticket Moves

Month 1: opens

Counted as New

Month 2: still open

Now counted as Backlog

Month 3: closes

Counted as Backlog, cleared

If it had closed back in Month 1 instead, it counts as New, closed and never becomes backlog at all.

Month	Backlog, still open	Backlog, cleared	New, still open	New, closed
Mar 2026	13,185	4,850	3,788	4,487
Apr 2026	13,153	3,820	2,328	4,301
May 2026	12,848	2,633	3,328	4,510
Jun 2026	13,090	3,086	3,092	4,892
Jul 2026	13,248	2,934	3,211	4,335
Aug 2026	13,405	3,054	3,462	4,587

Open Requests at Month-End

A request is "open" if it was submitted before month-end and not yet closed. All departments, all request ages. 2022–present. The City's own dashboard publishes a current open count but no historical series; we reconstruct this month-by-month from request submission and close dates.

What types of requests are in the backlog?

Current Open Requests by Service Type and Age

Service Type	Total Open	>1 Year	6–12 Mo	3–6 Mo	1–3 Mo	<30 Days
Repair Sidewalk or Ramp	3,589	2,901	275	200	129	84
Request Caseworker Support with Social Services	2,042	0	0	0	304	1,738
Assess Existing Tree or Stump	2,034	1,066	216	326	333	93
Clean Stormwater Drain	1,292	688	153	165	222	64
Assess Standing Water	942	528	156	109	111	38
Maintain Grass or Vegetation in Public Right of Way	738	311	34	127	150	116
Repair Curbs and Gutters	607	513	28	25	30	11
Report Neighborhood Roadway Safety Concern	531	28	209	119	88	87
Repair Alley	477	201	99	53	76	48
Real Estate Taxes	470	1	38	41	166	224
Request New Tree Planting	461	330	39	53	29	10
Repair Stormwater Drain	396	274	38	32	37	15
Traffic and Street Signs	300	131	20	23	49	77
RVAPay Account Registration Support	275	0	1	214	43	17
Report Issue in Richmond City Park	265	0	0	85	110	70
Repair Existing Streetlight	256	143	64	19	18	12
Pavement Markings	233	100	48	50	23	12
Report Public Right of Way Concern	182	108	24	18	17	15
Repair Road	177	91	17	18	20	31
Assess Existing Tree or Stump	128	47	27	22	28	4
Request New Streetlight	122	71	27	13	4	7
Request Aging and Disability Care and Support	95	0	0	9	69	17
Report Litter on Public Property	93	7	0	30	30	26
Handicap Parking Sign	91	1	23	19	22	26
Report Graffiti	72	48	18	0	0	6
Report Sinkhole	71	26	10	26	9	0
Parking Citation Concerns	70	1	0	0	0	69
Pothole on Road	61	16	6	1	1	37
Report Speed Violations in Community	54	22	17	7	2	6
Real Estate Tax Relief for Older Adults or Persons with Disabilities	54	0	12	0	6	36
Repair Electronic Traffic Signal	45	13	7	8	8	9
Request Residential Trash Can	40	7	0	0	0	33
Report Illegal Dumping	29	4	2	10	3	10
Business Professional and Occupational Licenses	24	0	0	2	2	20
Report Backup of Sewer	20	7	2	11	0	0

Service types with fewer than 20 open requests excluded. Service type is the leaf-level request category (e.g. "Pothole Repair"); the City's dashboard groups higher (e.g. "Roads, Alleys, Sidewalks and Ramps"). The age-bucket breakdown is unique to this view; the City's dashboard shows status, not age-since-submission.

How has the backlog composition changed over time?

Backlog Composition by Quarter

Quarterly snapshots, 2022–present. Reconstructed from request submission and close dates. The City's dashboard does not publish a comparable backlog-aging series.

This backlog is made up of individual requests in specific neighborhoods.

Get new 311 requests in your neighborhood, daily.

Methodology, data quirks, and field definitions: RVA311 methodology.