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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2026 | 14,228 | 3,185 | 3,806 | 3,520 |
| Mar 2026 | 13,184 | 4,850 | 3,788 | 4,487 |
| Apr 2026 | 13,152 | 3,820 | 2,328 | 4,301 |
| May 2026 | 12,847 | 2,633 | 3,328 | 4,510 |
| Jun 2026 | 13,089 | 3,086 | 3,092 | 4,892 |
| Jul 2026 | 13,247 | 2,934 | 3,211 | 4,335 |
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 | 3,622 | 2,902 | 275 | 198 | 175 | 72 |
| Assess Existing Tree or Stump | 2,058 | 1,042 | 277 | 223 | 300 | 216 |
| Request Caseworker Support with Social Services | 1,787 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 243 | 1,544 |
| Clean Stormwater Drain | 1,266 | 691 | 131 | 121 | 186 | 137 |
| Assess Standing Water | 972 | 542 | 147 | 114 | 101 | 68 |
| Maintain Grass or Vegetation in Public Right of Way | 765 | 353 | 60 | 56 | 119 | 177 |
| Repair Curbs and Gutters | 732 | 604 | 36 | 32 | 33 | 27 |
| Repair Alley | 582 | 227 | 90 | 106 | 83 | 76 |
| Real Estate Taxes | 501 | 0 | 36 | 85 | 178 | 202 |
| Report Neighborhood Roadway Safety Concern | 458 | 26 | 163 | 122 | 100 | 47 |
| Request New Tree Planting | 456 | 319 | 44 | 39 | 35 | 19 |
| Repair Stormwater Drain | 406 | 287 | 35 | 35 | 25 | 24 |
| Repair Road | 336 | 90 | 21 | 66 | 80 | 79 |
| Traffic and Street Signs | 290 | 129 | 18 | 17 | 37 | 89 |
| Repair Existing Streetlight | 276 | 131 | 80 | 23 | 17 | 25 |
| RVAPay Account Registration Support | 251 | 0 | 1 | 108 | 123 | 19 |
| Pavement Markings | 214 | 94 | 42 | 31 | 37 | 10 |
| Report Issue in Richmond City Park | 191 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 92 | 81 |
| Report Public Right of Way Concern | 166 | 105 | 23 | 10 | 17 | 11 |
| Assess Existing Tree or Stump | 124 | 58 | 25 | 20 | 16 | 5 |
| Request New Streetlight | 115 | 70 | 24 | 9 | 10 | 2 |
| Pothole on Road | 113 | 17 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 79 |
| Request Residential Trash Can | 106 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 99 |
| Report Litter on Public Property | 106 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 32 | 57 |
| Report Graffiti | 105 | 45 | 21 | 2 | 19 | 18 |
| Report Sinkhole | 85 | 26 | 2 | 25 | 32 | 0 |
| Handicap Parking Sign | 75 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 27 | 11 |
| Report Speed Violations in Community | 75 | 23 | 8 | 14 | 16 | 14 |
| Repair Electronic Traffic Signal | 58 | 14 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 22 |
| Real Estate Tax Relief for Older Adults or Persons with Disabilities | 56 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 40 |
| Request Aging and Disability Care and Support | 51 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 22 |
| Report Illegal Dumping | 50 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 13 | 23 |
| Parking Citation Concerns | 42 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 |
| Report Private Property Maintenance Issues | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 |
| Business Professional and Occupational Licenses | 23 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 18 |
| Report Backup of Sewer | 22 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 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.