How to reach Columbus code enforcement
Columbus code enforcement takes complaints through 311, online or by phone. An inspector checks the problem and orders the owner to fix it by a deadline.
Know Your Block maps about 81,000 of those complaints. Open the map or look up an address to see what neighbors have reported.
What Columbus code enforcement inspects
- No heat, no hot water, or no water
- Mold and leaks
- Rats and mice, roaches, and bed bugs
- Sewage backups
- Missing smoke detectors and other fire hazards
- Repairs a landlord or management company won’t make
- Vacant buildings and unsafe structures
- Tall grass, trash, junk cars, and graffiti
- Noise that keeps coming from the same place
- Zoning problems and work done without a permit
When to call 911, the police, or a lawyer instead
-
Call 911
Fire, a gas smell, a carbon monoxide alarm, or a crime happening now
Get safe first. Report the building problem to 311 after.
-
Police line
A loud party happening right now
Call the police non-emergency line. Noise that repeats every weekend is a 311 case. Noise guide →
-
Legal help
An eviction, a deposit, or a rent dispute
These go to court. An inspector can’t settle them. Finding legal help →
-
Your city
An address in a suburb like Bexley, Upper Arlington, or Whitehall
Those cities run their own code enforcement. Each one’s page here lists who to call. Find your city →
-
Columbus 311
Not sure which it is
File with 311 anyway. Operators send complaints to the right place. Who handles what →
What happens after you file a complaint
An inspector checks the address
311 sends the complaint to an inspector, who visits the address. For a problem inside a home, someone has to let the inspector in. Save the case number 311 gives you.
The owner gets an order
If the inspector confirms a violation, the owner gets a written notice with a deadline to fix it. No heat, no water, and missing smoke detectors can get an emergency order.
The inspector comes back
After the deadline the inspector checks again. Most cases close here, with the problem fixed. An owner who still hasn’t fixed it can be taken to environmental court.
Track the case
Look the address up on the city’s official case portal or search it here. New cases do not show up right away.
Active means the case is open. Closed means the city ended it, which does not always mean the problem was fixed. If it is still broken, file again and give the old case number. Court means the case went to court.
Check an address for past complaints
See every complaint filed there and on the blocks around it.
Free · no account needed
Common questions
What is the Columbus code enforcement phone number?
Call Columbus 311 at (614) 645-3111, or file online at 311.columbus.gov. 311 sends the complaint to code enforcement.
Can code enforcement make my landlord fix things?
Yes. A confirmed violation becomes a written order with a deadline. No heat, no water, and missing smoke detectors can get an emergency order. Ohio law also bars a landlord from retaliating against a tenant for reporting.
Keep going
Contacts on this page were verified August 2026. If one has changed, Columbus 311 can route you.
Know Your Block is an independent public-information project operated by Canary Civic LLC, not the City of Columbus and not a law firm. Nothing on this page is legal advice, and this site does not recommend or partner with any legal provider. Report counts come from official City of Columbus code-enforcement records and describe reports filed, not verified conditions.