What's reported in West Side

Key factsfrom 5,650 reports · Columbus, OH · JAN 2025 – AUG 2026
  • Encampments About twice the citywide rate.
  • Trend About the same number of reports so far this year as the same months last year.
  • Spread Problems are spread across the area. No single building or complex dominates, so check the exact address.
NB
About this page. The West Side is the broad Columbus region west of the Scioto River, stretching from Franklinton out through Lincoln Village. Hilltop sits within this region but has its own page given its distinct identity and density.

Looking at an address in West Side?

Search any Columbus address to see what has been reported there, at the same building, and on the surrounding block.

Free · no account · opens the live map's Block Report for the address

Where complaints are filed in West Side

Each dot is one report. Color shows severity — olive (low) to red (critical). Click any dot for the address and date, or open the live map to filter, search, and zoom in. This embed shows the 1,500 most recent reports, prioritizing severe and critical reports. The live map has all 5,650.
Low Moderate Severe Critical
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How do reports in West Side compare with the rest of Columbus?

One row per complaint type: how its rate here compares with the citywide rate, whether it is rising or falling, and the month-by-month pattern.
Show the detailed stats for all 15 categories

Every category with at least 5 reports here. Category names link to the citywide guide.

Category vs citywide Trend · 2026 vs 2025 By month · Jan – Dec
Encampment
172 reports · 3.0% of all
1.9× ↑ Increasing January · 8%February · 8%March · 15%April · 15%May · 10%June · 13%July · 17%August · 3%September · 4%October · 3%November · 2%December · 3%
Roaches
51 reports · 0.9% of all
1.3× — January · 6%February · 8%March · 10%April · 14%May · 12%June · 14%July · 10%August · 4%September · 6%October · 6%November · 6%December · 6%
Noise
84 reports · 1.5% of all
1.2× ↑ Increasing January · 5%February · 4%March · 8%April · 2%May · 18%June · 18%July · 21%August · 13%September · 4%October · 2%November · 4%December · 1%
Vacant Structure
440 reports · 7.8% of all
1.1× ↑ Increasing January · 6%February · 6%March · 10%April · 15%May · 14%June · 12%July · 10%August · 10%September · 4%October · 7%November · 3%December · 3%
Mold / Water Damage
184 reports · 3.3% of all
1.1× ↑ Increasing January · 11%February · 8%March · 7%April · 7%May · 9%June · 11%July · 16%August · 15%September · 5%October · 5%November · 2%December · 3%
Overgrowth
2,697 reports · 47.7% of all
1.1× → Steady January · 4%February · 5%March · 6%April · 8%May · 15%June · 18%July · 14%August · 14%September · 8%October · 4%November · 3%December · 1%
Landlord / Management
229 reports · 4.1% of all
1.05× ↑ Increasing January · 10%February · 5%March · 9%April · 10%May · 9%June · 11%July · 16%August · 14%September · 5%October · 4%November · 2%December · 5%
Trash
1,190 reports · 21.1% of all
1.02× → Steady January · 8%February · 8%March · 14%April · 11%May · 10%June · 12%July · 11%August · 10%September · 5%October · 4%November · 4%December · 3%
Vehicles
634 reports · 11.2% of all
0.96× → Steady January · 6%February · 7%March · 10%April · 12%May · 13%June · 12%July · 11%August · 13%September · 4%October · 6%November · 3%December · 2%
HVAC / Utilities
130 reports · 2.3% of all
0.94× — January · 15%February · 12%March · 14%April · 8%May · 4%June · 8%July · 8%August · 8%September · 2%October · 2%November · 8%December · 11%
Rats
248 reports · 4.4% of all
0.93× ↑ Increasing January · 6%February · 7%March · 14%April · 10%May · 11%June · 14%July · 14%August · 13%September · 4%October · 3%November · 2%December · 3%
Pest / Rodent
367 reports · 6.5% of all
0.93× ↑ Increasing January · 5%February · 7%March · 12%April · 11%May · 11%June · 15%July · 14%August · 11%September · 5%October · 4%November · 2%December · 3%
Sewage
43 reports · 0.8% of all
0.74× — January · 12%February · 7%March · 12%April · 12%May · 12%June · 7%July · 7%August · 12%September · 2%October · 5%November · 5%December · 9%
Safety
70 reports · 1.2% of all
0.73× — January · 1%February · 13%March · 6%April · 9%May · 13%June · 9%July · 10%August · 13%September · 4%October · 13%November · 3%December · 7%
Hoarding
6 reports · 0.1% of all
0.57× — —

Common questions about West Side

Short answers computed from the records on this page. Tap a question to read it.

What problems show up most in West Side's city records?

Higher than normal rate of encampment complaints.

Compared with the rest of Columbus, West Side sees encampment reports about twice as often as usual.

Which streets in West Side have the most complaints?

Ranked by complaints per address, the most-reported stretches are the 600 to 1399 blocks of W Rich St, the 300 to 1099 blocks of W Broad St, and the 0 to 299 blocks of N Guilford Ave. 5 stretches stand out in total. Each one is roughly a hundred addresses, so check the exact address before drawing conclusions.

Tap a street to see it on the map.

Are the problems concentrated in a few buildings?

Problems here are spread across the area rather than concentrated. Reports come from over 2,800 different addresses, and no single building or complex dominates. The most-reported stretch is the 600 to 1399 blocks of W Rich St, with 116 reports from 32 addresses. For any specific address, run a Block Report to see what has been reported there and next door.

Are reports in West Side going up or down?

They are steady. So far this year West Side has logged about the same number of reports as the same months last year.

All reports by month latest month: 352
352 JAN '25 AUG '26

How serious are the reports in West Side?

16% of the reports for West Side are rated severe or critical, such as sewage, no heat, mold, or an active infestation, against 16% citywide. That is about the same share as Columbus overall. The rest are moderate or low, like tall grass, trash, or a junk car.

Share of reports rated severe or critical, next to The parts of West Side and Columbus as a whole. Lower is calmer.

Other Columbus areasLinden·Hilltop·Northland·Downtown·East Side·South Side

What should I check before moving to West Side?

Problems here vary block to block, so the area average won't tell you much about one house. Before you sign, search the exact address to see what has been reported at that building and on its block.

How do I report a problem in West Side?

Reports are what inspectors act on. If you see pests, mold, or no heat, report it to 311. It becomes part of the public record you're reading now. Heating and utility complaints here peak in December. If that is your problem, report it when it starts. Do not wait for the busiest month.

What should landlords and property owners in West Side know?

Tenants in this area most often report encampment problems. Responding to tenant reports before they reach 311 keeps a property out of this dataset.

Is West Side safe?

This site does not track crime, so it cannot answer that. It tracks what residents report to the city about property and living conditions. Of the 5,650 records for West Side, 70 are safety complaints such as gas leaks, exposed wiring, or missing smoke detectors. For crime data, use the Columbus Division of Police. For one specific address, run a Block Report.

About Know Your Block

Know Your Block is a free public tool that shows what Columbus residents report to the city's code enforcement office: rats, mold, no heat, sewage backups, drug activity, noise, vacant buildings, and the other property and quality-of-life problems that a listing or a tour will not tell you about — the stuff Zillow and Apartments.com don't show. The live map plots every report in the city, and a Block Report checks one address, the building it sits in, and the block around it. This page and the other neighborhood pages are computed from the same records, so the numbers here match what you would find on the map. There is no account and no fee. More about the project.

Source & method

Data comes from official City of Columbus code enforcement records (Accela portal + ArcGIS REST API). Comparison figures are computed against the full citywide dataset; "above the citywide rate" means a category's share of complaints in this area is higher than its share citywide. Complaints are reports filed with the city — they may be unverified, resolved, or in dispute. Categories are assigned by automated keyword matching and may include mismatches. Individual property records are surfaced through search, not listed on this page.