Nothing to sign up for
No account, no password, no email address needed to use any part of it.
The map
Everything happening on your block, in one place.
Street reports from LA 311 reach the map within about a minute of the City publishing them. Tap Layers to add air quality, fires or earthquakes on top, group reports or see every pin, and pick a light, detailed or dark map.
- Street reports
- Air quality
- Wildfires
- Flood alerts
- Earthquakes
- Weather stations
- Weather alerts
Tap the location button to see what's within half a mile of you, or drag the circle from a block to ten miles.
Report a problem
Send it to the right place the first time.
- Choose the problemTrash and dumping, streets and sidewalks, streetlights, leaks, graffiti and more.
- Check the addressGroundWatch finds who handles it (the City of LA and its council district, another city, or the County) and shows reports already filed there.
- Send it your wayOpen MyLA311, call 311, or send an email to 311@lacity.org that GroundWatch writes for you, from your own email.
GroundWatch never files a request for you and never asks for your City password. You stay in charge of what's sent.
My Cases
Follow it until the City closes it.
Follow any LA 311 case by its number or address. See where it stands, from Open to In progress to Closed, and when the City last touched it.
- Tell LA 311 it's still there, getting worse or fixed, with an email written for you.
- Keep your own record: every email you sent and every note you made, in one timeline.
- See nearby reports at the same address or within a block.
Conditions, news and alerts
Know what matters before you go.
Air quality for 16 areas across LA, official National Weather Service alerts and forecasts, LAFD updates, and reporting from a short list of trusted LA newsrooms. No social media.
- Clear labels for what's measured, what's a model estimate and what's news.
- Stale data is never shown as current. If a source goes quiet, its hazards drop off the current lists.
Made for your phone
Easy to read, day or night.
- Follows dark mode on your phone or computer, map included.
- Respects your text size settings, with buttons big enough for a thumb.
- Opens offline with the last data it saw, clearly marked as not live.
- Add it to your Home Screen. On iPhone, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen. On Android, open the Chrome menu and tap Install app.
Privacy
No account. No tracking.
GroundWatch shows public data. What you do with it stays with you.
Your cases stay on your device
The cases you follow, your notes and the emails you write are saved in your browser. To check on a case, only its case number is sent.
No ads or trackers
No advertising, no analytics and no tracking scripts. Fonts and the app's code are served by GroundWatch itself.
Who sees what
Address checks go to the U.S. Census Bureau's address service. The street map loads from OpenFreeMap. Email to LA 311 goes from your own email.
Where the data comes from
Official sources, labeled for what they are.
Each item says where it came from and when. GroundWatch never changes an official record.
| Source | What it shows | Kind | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| LA 311 (MyLA311 open data) | Street reports: dumping, bins, sweeping, flooding, animals and more | City record | every minute |
| National Weather Service | Alerts for LA County, forecasts, 7 airport weather stations | Official | 3 to 30 min |
| USGS | Earthquakes in Southern California, magnitude 1 and up | Instrument | 5 min |
| CAL FIRE and NIFC | Active wildfires, new starts and fire perimeters | Official | 5 to 15 min |
| LAFD | Los Angeles Fire Department alerts | Official | 5 min |
| Open-Meteo (CAMS) | Air quality estimates for 16 areas | Model | 30 min |
| Trusted LA newsrooms | Local reporting from an allowlist of newsrooms | Curated news | 10 min |
A case number on the map is the City's record of a request; it doesn't confirm what was reported. Air quality figures are model estimates by area, not street-level sensors. The street map is © OpenStreetMap contributors, served by OpenFreeMap.
Questions
Good to know.
Is this the City of Los Angeles's app?
No. GroundWatch LA is an independent project. It isn't affiliated with, or endorsed by, the City or County of Los Angeles. It shows their public data and links you to their official services.
Does GroundWatch send my report to the City?
No. It helps you choose the right place and writes an email for you if you want one, but you send the request yourself through MyLA311, by calling 311, or from your own email.
Can I use it in an emergency?
No. For an emergency, call 911. For official evacuation orders and warnings, follow the LAFD, the National Weather Service and your local emergency alerts.
Does it work outside the City of LA?
The map covers the Los Angeles area. When you check an address in another city, such as Santa Monica, or in an unincorporated part of the County, GroundWatch tells you which city or County office handles it and points you there.
What does it cost?
Nothing. There are no ads, no purchases and no account.