City services and 311

Canadian municipalities concentrate non-emergency contact in a single service line. Where a city runs 311, that number reaches every municipal department, and the people answering can route a request to the right one. For St. John's that is City of St. John's.

Numbers and contacts

• Access St. John's (311)311, or 754-CITY (2489) from outside St. John's

  Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for non-emergency city services.

  Official page

• Access St. John's emailaccess@stjohns.ca

  For non-emergency city services, programs and information.

  Official page

• City Hall / Access Centre10 New Gower St., St. John's, NL A1C 5M2

  Access Centre on the first floor, Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

  Official page

• Police non-emergency (Royal Newfoundland Constabulary)709-729-8000

  Northeast Avalon line covering St. John's; for emergencies call 911.

  Official page

• RNC provincial headquarters1 Fort Townshend, St. John's, NL A1C 2G2

  Official page

• Metrobus Ride Guide709-722-9400

  24-hour route and schedule information; also the lost and found line.

  Official page

• Metrobus administration709-570-2020

  Customer service centre at 25 Messenger Drive.

  Official page

• Building permits - Permit Counter709-576-8565

  John J. Murphy Building (City Hall Annex), third floor; permit fees can also be paid by phone at 709-576-8694.

  Official page

Official city services

These go directly to the municipality’s own pages for the services residents use most. Fares, fees, hours and collection schedules change, so each link is the live source rather than a snapshot copied here.

• Metrobus fares and passes — mCard, cash fares and pass options.
• Metrobus service bulletins — Detours and service alerts, with text and email alert sign-up.
• Waste and recycling (Curb It St. John's) — 311 or 709-754-CITY (2489); CurbIt@StJohns.ca.
• Snow clearing — Service levels, downtown snow removal and the Plow Tracker.
• Building permits — Applications, checklists and permit fees.
• Newfoundland and Labrador Public Libraries — Provincial library system; St. John's branches are listed on its site.

Getting a request acted on

A municipal request is only as useful as its location. Whatever the issue — a pothole, a broken streetlight, missed collection, a water main leak, an unshovelled sidewalk — the details that get it fixed are the same:

• The exact address, or the nearest intersection, plus which side of the street.
• What the problem is and when you first noticed it.
• A photo, where the problem is visible — most cities accept attachments online.
• Whether it is on public property or private. Cities can only act on what they own, and this is the most common reason a request is closed without action.
• A reference number. Keep it: it is what you quote when you follow up.

What is not the city’s job

A surprising share of complaints go to the wrong body. In most Canadian cities, the following are handled by someone else entirely:

• Police, fire and medical emergencies — 911. Not the city service line.
• Highways and provincial roads — the province, not the municipality. City crews maintain local roads only.
• Electricity, natural gas and telecoms — the utility or the provider. See the driving and utilities information for who regulates them in Newfoundland and Labrador.
• Landlord and tenant disputes — a provincial tribunal, not the city.
• Schools and hospitals — school boards and regional health authorities.