Chicago's Community Civic App

Report Graffiti in Chicago

Photo it, pin it, submit it straight to 311. Offendr gets your graffiti report to the city's removal crew instantly — and shows you everything else your neighbors are flagging on the map.

Report on Offendr How it works
Submits directly to Chicago 311
Live map of nearby reports
Photo evidence attached
Track removal status

Reported and tracked in under a minute

Chicago's Graffiti Blasters program removes graffiti from public and private property at no cost — but only if they know it's there. Offendr gets your report to the right crew fast.

1

Open Offendr and sign in

Quick email sign-in, then you're set. Your GPS location pins automatically when you open the report screen.

2

Take a photo of the graffiti

A clear photo is especially important for graffiti — it helps crews locate and identify the exact surface to clean. Offendr attaches it automatically.

3

Select "Graffiti" and submit

Your report goes directly to Chicago 311 via the Open311 API. You get a service request number immediately.

4

Track it until it's removed

Offendr polls 311 and updates your report's status automatically — so you know when Graffiti Blasters has been dispatched and when the job is done.


Your block, not just your graffiti report

Reporting graffiti takes 30 seconds. Offendr keeps you connected to everything else happening in your neighborhood — the problems, the projects, and the people fixing things.

Live incident map

See every active report near you — graffiti, potholes, dumping, flooding and more. Check the map before you file to see if your report is already in the queue. Confirm it with a tap to add weight rather than creating a duplicate.

Always on

Community fix-it projects

Neighbors can start community projects — a block cleanup, a graffiti removal effort, a park restoration — and invite others to join. Projects live on the map and move from active to completed when the work is done.

Organize together

Local news in the feed

Offendr's feed mixes incident reports with real local Chicago news — surfaced by proximity to what you're already looking at on the map. No algorithm optimizing for outrage. Just what's happening near you.

Stay informed

Volunteer opportunities

Offendr surfaces local volunteer opportunities alongside neighborhood incidents. Park cleanups, community gardens, mutual aid networks. Good things happening on your block deserve the same visibility as the problems.

Give back

Local events

Community members share events pinned to the map — block parties, neighborhood meetings, local fundraisers. Your neighborhood's calendar, built by the people who actually live there.

What's on near you

Chicago graffiti removal: what you need to know

Chicago's Graffiti Blasters program is one of the most comprehensive municipal graffiti removal services in the country. The city deploys specialized trucks equipped with high-pressure washers and paint-matching equipment to remove graffiti from both public and private property at no cost to property owners.

The program operates year-round and targets removal within 7 business days of a 311 report being filed. The key word is "report" — Graffiti Blasters crews respond to 311 requests, not to graffiti they spot themselves. That means every piece of graffiti that isn't reported is graffiti that stays.

Research consistently shows that visible graffiti attracts more graffiti. Rapid removal breaks that cycle. The faster a piece is reported and removed, the less likely it is to reappear — which is why Offendr's live map matters. If multiple people on the same block report the same wall, it signals to the city that the location needs priority attention.

For graffiti on private property, the city requires owner consent before removal. When you report through Offendr, you can include notes about who the property owner is or whether consent has already been given, which speeds up the process significantly.

Beyond graffiti, Offendr routes reports for potholes, illegal dumping, abandoned vehicles, streetlight outages, and flooding — all from the same app.


Chicago graffiti removal FAQs

Everything you need to know about reporting and tracking graffiti removal in Chicago.

Report graffiti through the Offendr app, which submits directly to Chicago 311 via the Open311 API. Take a photo, confirm your GPS pin, select "Graffiti" and submit. You can also call 311 or visit 311.chicago.gov.
Chicago's Graffiti Blasters program targets removal within 7 business days of a 311 report. Private property removal may take slightly longer as it requires owner consent. Offendr tracks your report's status automatically so you'll know when crews are dispatched.
Yes. Chicago's Graffiti Blasters program covers both public and private property at no cost to owners, though private property requires owner permission. The city uses specialized equipment to match paint and restore surfaces as close as possible to their original condition.
Yes. Offendr shows all active reports near you on a live map. If it's already in the queue, tap to confirm rather than filing a duplicate. Multiple confirmations signal to the city that the location needs priority attention.
Offendr connects directly to 311 so your reports land in the same place, but adds a live neighborhood map, local news, community projects, and automatic removal tracking. It's a full Chicago 311 alternative with a community layer on top.

Your neighborhood is already on the map

Report that graffiti, see what's happening nearby, and stay connected to the people keeping Chicago's neighborhoods clean.

Open Offendr