Columbus, OH · Issue Report

Hoarding in Columbus

The read computed from 127 reports · JAN 2025 – JUN 2026

Columbus logged about 130 hoarding reports in the last 18 months. That is a small slice of everything filed with code enforcement, which does not make any one of them small. Most are filed by family members or neighbors worried about someone. Reports come in at the highest rates in North Linden. Reports come from more than a hundred different addresses and no block is immune. Check the specific address, not the neighborhood average.

127
reports on file
a small share of all complaints
—
Trend
too few reports to call a trend
—
peak season
too few reports to call a season
The process

What happens when you report

Hoarding reports are treated as welfare situations first. The city’s response usually starts with an inspection and referrals, not punishment.

Report to 311 with the address and what you can observe from outside, like blocked exits or accumulation you can see. You do not need to have been inside.

For family & neighbors

Worried about someone?

Many of these reports mention an elderly resident, and the practical risks are fire, blocked exits, and pests in the accumulation. Those are the words that get a report acted on.

A report can be the step that connects someone to help. It is not an eviction.

When it gets reported

Share of the year's reports landing in each month, corrected for how many times each month appears in the data window.
January · 7% of the year's reportsJFebruary · 5% of the year's reportsFMarch · 12% of the year's reportsMApril · 8% of the year's reportsAMay · 9% of the year's reportsMJune · 10% of the year's reportsJJuly · 9% of the year's reportsJAugust · 2% of the year's reportsASeptember · 11% of the year's reportsSOctober · 15% of the year's reportsONovember · 5% of the year's reportsNDecember · 7% of the year's reportsD

With about 130 reports on file, the month-to-month pattern is too thin to read as a season.

All hoarding reports by month latest month: 12
12 JAN '25 JUN '26

Where it's most reported

Rates compare each neighborhood's share of reports against the citywide share. This page describes where reports come from and skips ranked lists on purpose.

Reports come in at the highest rates in North Linden.

For contrast, rates run lowest in Short North among the busiest areas.

Low Moderate Severe Critical
Open the live map filtered to hoarding →
Each dot is one report, colored by severity. The live map adds search, filters, and the Block Report.

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.
Rats & miceAddresses with hoarding reports are about four times as likely to also have rat and mouse reports on file.→ Raccoons & wildlifeAddresses with hoarding reports are about four times as likely to also have wildlife reports on file.→ Smoke detectors & fire hazardsAddresses with hoarding reports are about four times as likely to also have fire safety reports on file.→ Vacant & abandoned buildingsAddresses with hoarding reports are about three times as likely to also have vacant building reports on file.→

What people describe

The words that come up most in these reports, from the complaint narratives. Counts are reports mentioning each phrase.
hoarding situation29 hoarder34 inside18 rats18 porch19 outside18 junk20 items16

Common questions

How do I report hoarding in Columbus?

Call 311 with the address and what you can see from outside. Say if the resident is elderly or vulnerable. The response leads with inspection and referrals to services.

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 hoarding conditions, usually filed by worried family members or neighbors.

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 – JUN 2026, so month-of-year patterns will sharpen as full years accrue.