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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | 12,853 | 2,633 | 3,328 | 4,510 |
| Jun 2026 | 13,095 | 3,086 | 3,092 | 4,892 |
| Jul 2026 | 13,253 | 2,934 | 3,211 | 4,335 |
| Aug 2026 | 13,409 | 3,055 | 3,460 | 4,589 |
| Sep 2026 | 13,352 | 3,517 | 3,259 | 3,322 |
| Oct 2026 | 13,300 | 3,311 | 2,782 | 3,133 |
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 | 3,610 | 2,946 | 264 | 195 | 132 | 73 |
| Assess Existing Tree or Stump | 2,103 | 1,116 | 287 | 437 | 169 | 94 |
| Request Caseworker Support with Social Services | 1,733 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 248 | 1,484 |
| Clean Stormwater Drain | 1,264 | 662 | 161 | 286 | 118 | 37 |
| Assess Standing Water | 831 | 463 | 149 | 137 | 60 | 22 |
| Repair Curbs and Gutters | 568 | 473 | 30 | 33 | 18 | 14 |
| Maintain Grass or Vegetation in Public Right of Way | 532 | 206 | 44 | 151 | 93 | 38 |
| Request New Tree Planting | 520 | 335 | 54 | 46 | 72 | 13 |
| Report Neighborhood Roadway Safety Concern | 506 | 50 | 162 | 114 | 105 | 75 |
| Real Estate Taxes | 388 | 4 | 29 | 83 | 158 | 114 |
| Repair Alley | 371 | 163 | 74 | 63 | 42 | 29 |
| Repair Stormwater Drain | 369 | 251 | 48 | 39 | 24 | 7 |
| RVAPay Account Registration Support | 307 | 0 | 109 | 138 | 28 | 32 |
| Repair Existing Streetlight | 301 | 159 | 53 | 23 | 16 | 50 |
| Report Issue in Richmond City Park | 290 | 0 | 16 | 146 | 100 | 28 |
| Traffic and Street Signs | 220 | 132 | 21 | 21 | 45 | 1 |
| Pavement Markings | 205 | 100 | 36 | 35 | 19 | 15 |
| Report Public Right of Way Concern | 194 | 110 | 27 | 20 | 21 | 16 |
| Repair Road | 158 | 87 | 17 | 12 | 7 | 35 |
| Assess Existing Tree or Stump | 131 | 56 | 26 | 19 | 27 | 3 |
| Request New Streetlight | 130 | 79 | 22 | 11 | 10 | 8 |
| Request Aging and Disability Care and Support | 121 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 51 | 13 |
| Paid Leaf Vacuum Service | 93 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 92 |
| Handicap Parking Sign | 93 | 1 | 30 | 10 | 36 | 16 |
| Request Residential Trash Can | 78 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 70 |
| Report Graffiti | 78 | 57 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Repair Electronic Traffic Signal | 67 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 20 |
| Pothole on Road | 57 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 35 |
| Report Speed Violations in Community | 56 | 22 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| Repair or Remove Traffic and Street Signs | 54 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54 |
| Report Sinkhole | 40 | 24 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Business Professional and Occupational Licenses | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 39 |
| Report Litter on Public Property | 39 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 29 |
| Report Illegal Dumping | 37 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 33 |
| Real Estate Tax Relief for Older Adults or Persons with Disabilities | 31 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| Report Issue on Richmond Park Trail | 25 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 12 | 6 |
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.