Graffiti in Columbus, Ohio

This page maps every graffiti report filed with the City of Columbus, Ohio: paint or tags on buildings, fences, garages, and other structures.

Get it handled

Want it fixed?

Report it to 311 with the address and what surface it is on. On private property the owner is responsible for removal, and the report is what starts that clock.

If it is on your own property, photograph it before cleanup in case you want a police report too.

Know the rules

What counts?

Graffiti on private buildings, fences, and garages is a code enforcement matter at the owner’s address. Tags on public infrastructure like signs, bridges, and utility boxes route to the city or the utility instead, and 311 can direct both.

Block Report

Is your building or block already on record for graffiti?

Search any Columbus address to see what neighbors reported in that building and on that block.

Free · no account needed

Live map

Want to see all 1,318 graffiti reports on a map?

1,318 graffiti reports across Columbus, plus about 81,000 complaints of every kind, plotted block by block. The map filters by category, so the first button opens exterior issues, which includes these reports.

Exterior issues map All complaints
Open live map ↗ GraffitiAll other

Where it's most reported

Neighborhoods ranked by rate, meaning each category's share of the neighborhood's reports against its citywide share, so big neighborhoods don't win just for being big. Only rates with enough reports behind them are listed.
#1OSU / University District7.7×179 reports #2Downtown (core)5.3×109 reports #3Short North4.5×87 reports #4Italian Village4.1×12 reports #5Franklinton2.7×152 reports

For contrast, rates run lowest in Far South / Steelton among the busiest areas.

Open the live map filtered to exterior issues →

Often reported with

What else shows up at the same addresses. Address-level comparison, so this reads as a building-quality signal, not a coincidence of one phone call.
Vacant and abandoned buildingsAddresses with graffiti reports are about three times as likely to also have vacant building reports on file.→ EncampmentsAddresses with graffiti reports are about three times as likely to also have encampment reports on file.→

When it gets reported

Share of the year's reports landing in each month. Each year is scaled to its own level before months are averaged, so a year with more reports, or a change in how the city takes them in, does not tilt the shape.
January · 6% of the year's reportsJFebruary · 8% of the year's reportsFMarch · 11% of the year's reportsMApril · 8% of the year's reportsAMay · 8% of the year's reportsMJune · 13% of the year's reportsJJuly · 11% of the year's reportsJAugust · 10% of the year's reportsASeptember · 8% of the year's reportsSOctober · 9% of the year's reportsONovember · 4% of the year's reportsNDecember · 5% of the year's reportsD

Reports peak in June at about one and a half times the volume of a typical month. The quietest month is November. A quiet autumn does not mean the problem went away. Reporting drops citywide in cold months.

All graffiti reports by month latest month: 43
43 JAN '25 SEP '26

Common questions

How do I report graffiti in Columbus?

Call 311 with the address and the surface. Private-property graffiti becomes the owner’s removal responsibility once reported. Public infrastructure routes to the responsible agency. The step-by-step reporting guide →

Are graffiti reports in Columbus going up?

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

Where are graffiti reports most common in Columbus?

Rates run highest in OSU / University District, Downtown (core) and Short North, comparing each neighborhood's share of reports against the citywide share. No neighborhood is entirely without them.

Looking at a specific address?

Get the full Block Report, covering what's been reported at that exact address, the same building, and chronic neighbors within a third of a mile.

Search an address →
Source & method

What counts here. Reports that describe graffiti on buildings, fences, garages, or other structures.

Data comes from official City of Columbus code enforcement records (Accela portal + ArcGIS REST API). Reports are categorized by keyword matching on complaint narratives and city record types, so counts are reports filed, not verified conditions, and automated matching can misfile individual records. The data window covers JAN 2025 – SEP 2026, so month-of-year patterns will sharpen as full years accrue.