3-1-1 Service and the Citywide Services Directory

Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT IS 3-1-1?

3-1-1 provides easy access to City information and services via the Internet/Intranet or the 3-1-1 Center. Citizens and residents using a wired telephone line (i.e. landline) within the City of Los Angeles can access the 3-1-1 Center by dialing 3-1-1, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The service is free to callers.

The Citywide Services Directory (CSD) provides accurate information about City services, locations, phone numbers and other general information from one centralized repository. The CSD supports the 3-1-1 Center, and is also available to City staff via the Intranet, and the public via the Internet.

In the CSD, services are defined as either external or internal. External City services are those that the City provides directly to the public, such as garbage collection, permitting, and street maintenance. Internal services are those provided by one City department to another department, such as telephone repair, telcode administration, and custodial services. City employees have access via the Intranet from insidela.ci.la.ca.us to both internal and external service information, whereas the public has access to external services only via the Internet, accessible from www.lacity.org.

HOW LONG HAS 3-1-1 SERVICE BEEN AVAILABLE?

The CSD has been available to both City employees via insidela and the public via www.lacity.org since November 7, 2002.

HOW DO CITY EMPLOYEES USE 3-1-1?

City employees may use the CSD to help their customer directly or to avail themselves of internal City service information by typing insidela into the address bar of their web browser, and clicking the http://insidecsd.ci.la.ca.us/ link in the center section of the page. In case of difficulty finding the requested service, a caller may be transferred to the 3-1-1 Center for more assistance.

HOW CAN A CITY EMPLOYEE CALL THE 3-1-1 CENTER?

The City’s Electronic Tandem Network (ETN) is the City’s main telephone network system, composed of the Centrex and City PBX systems, and serving most City sites. From a City office location, the 3-1-1 Center may be accessed free of charge through the ETN by dialing “0” or 3-3231. The ability to dial 9-311 is blocked because accessing the 3-1-1 Center by dialing out of the ETN results in a $0.05 charge to the City.

Some telephones at remote sites or those on other City telephone systems such as the Airports, Harbor, and DWP, are not connected to the ETN. In that case, the 3-1-1 Center may be reached by directly dialing 3-1-1 if the caller is within the boundaries of the City.