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 Calgary that is City of Calgary.

Numbers and contacts

• City services (311)311, or 403-268-2489 from outside Calgary

  Answered 24/7 by phone, app or online, in more than 300 languages.

  Official page

• Police non-emergency (Calgary Police Service)403-266-1234

  Call 911 instead for an emergency or a crime in progress.

  Official page

• City Hall main switchboard311, or 403-268-2489 from outside Calgary

  The City routes general enquiries through 311 rather than publishing a separate City Hall switchboard.

  Official page

• Calgary City Hall address800 Macleod Trail S.E., Calgary

  Municipal Complex public access is 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday.

  Official page

• TTY line403-268-4889 (TTY)

  For deaf and hard of hearing callers; inside Calgary, dial 711 and ask for 311.

  Official page

• Calgary Transit customer service403-262-1000

  Call centre open 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily; TTY 403-262-8087.

  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.

• Calgary Transit fares and passes — Cash, ticket, day pass and monthly pass rates, including senior and low-income passes.
• Calgary Transit trip planner — Plan a Trip and Next Ride are on the Calgary Transit homepage.
• Calgary Transit service updates — Current CTrain, MAX and bus detours, stop closures and planned disruptions.
• Waste and recycling — Black, blue and green cart programs, Eco Centres and landfill hours.
• Snow clearing (Priority Snow Plan) — Clearing priorities and timing after a snowfall, with the priority routes map.
• Road conditions and traffic — Traffic report, cameras, drive times and special event road closures.
• Building and development permits — Residential and commercial permit types and how to apply.
• Calgary Public Library — Hours, locations, free membership and the catalogue.

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 Alberta.
• Landlord and tenant disputes — a provincial tribunal, not the city.
• Schools and hospitals — school boards and regional health authorities.