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How 311 works · 6 min read

What does "Closed - See Comments" mean on a MyLA311 request?

Aaron Henehan
Contributor: Aaron Henehan
PUBLISHED SEP 8, 2026

"Closed - See Comments" means the City of Los Angeles has finished processing your 311 request and a staffer left a note explaining the outcome. It does not necessarily mean the problem was fixed. The note may say the work was done, or that the case was referred to another agency, ruled not a City responsibility, marked a duplicate, or closed for another reason. The catch: in many cases, the comment you're told to see isn't visible to you.

Why this status exists

Every MyLA311 service request ends in a terminal status. In the City's own data, "Closed" means the request "has been completed": completed as a case, not necessarily as a repair. "Closed - See Comments" is the version where the closing department attached an explanation. A closed case is a counted case either way, which is why a street can stay broken while the paperwork reads done.

We say this without blame: the crews are real, the workload is enormous, and many requests do end in real repairs. The failure here is a visibility failure. The system knows why your case closed, and you often can't see it.

A hand holding a phone that reads Closed, See Comments on a service request, beside an unrepaired pothole on a residential Los Angeles street
The visual is a concept. The status is real.

What to do when you see "Closed - See Comments"

  1. Look up the request on the MyLA311 website. Search for the service request and check the available status and resolution information. The City directs residents to the MyLA311 website to check the status of service requests, and you can follow a request to get email updates when it opens and when it closes.
  2. If the explanation still isn't clear, call 311 (or 213-473-3231), give the representative your service request number, and ask what information is available about why the request was closed.
  3. If the request was closed but the problem is still there, take a current photo and submit a new request. Include the previous request number and closure date in your description so there is a record of the earlier report.
  4. If the request was referred elsewhere, follow the information in the closure explanation. The City routes each request to the responsible department, and a referral means another agency owns the fix.
  5. If the issue keeps closing without resolution, contact your City Council district office and provide the relevant service request numbers and dates.

How CLARK AI handles it

CLARK AI files your report through 311 and then watches the case. When the city reports a terminal outcome, your tracker moves to Resolved, and we record what kind of closure it was, so "Asphalt repaired" and "Closed - See Comments" don't blur into one green checkmark. Over time, that tracked record of filings, outcomes, and closure types is what turns individual frustration into a picture cities and residents can both act on. It is the same discipline behind how we report a pothole: every case tracked to closure.

Field notes · Tea For Streets

Spill the Tea

Tea For Streets files street reports through the City's 311 system and tracks every one to a city reported outcome. Across our tracked cases, a meaningful share came back "Closed - See Comments", with closing comments the requester couldn't view in the app. When we could surface the notes, they ranged from real outcomes ("Asphalt repaired") to referrals and jurisdiction calls that no resident would ever learn otherwise.

One example from our public record: our report TFS-001246 became city service request C-03947538 and closed as "Asphalt repaired," a clean, verifiable win for the system. The problem isn't that closures are dishonest. It's that without the comment, "Closed - See Comments" and "we fixed it" look identical from the outside.

Honest limit, same as always: our numbers come from a pilot scale sample our own field team generated much of. We publish them because outcomes are the point.

FAQ

Does "Closed" mean my problem was fixed?

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Not necessarily. In the City's open data, "Closed" means the request has been completed as a case, and the City's own MyLA311 FAQ notes that a request can also be canceled rather than completed. The important part is the outcome or explanation attached to the closure.

Why can't I see the comments I'm told to see?

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Visibility can vary by request and closure type. Start by checking the request on the MyLA311 website. If the explanation is still unclear or unavailable, call 311 or 213-473-3231 with your service request number and ask for more information about the closure.

Can I reopen a closed request?

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The City does not appear to publish a general rule promising that every closed request can be reopened. If the underlying issue still exists, the practical option is to submit a new request with a current photo and, when useful, reference the earlier service request number and closure date.

Is this an LA-only problem?

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No. The gap between closing a service request and completing the physical work is built into how 311 workflows function, in Los Angeles and in other cities. LA at least makes it visible in the status itself: "Closed - See Comments" tells you an explanation exists, even when you cannot read it.

What does CLARK AI do differently?

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It writes and files the report for you in seconds, a human reviews every filing before it reaches the city, and every case is tracked to its actual city reported outcome, including which closure type it got. Reporting is free on the App Store.

We post case timelines, city outcomes, and the occasional before and after as they happen, without editorializing.

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Sources
  1. City of Los Angeles, MyLA311 Frequently Asked Questions: requests are assigned to the responsible City department, email notifications are sent when a request opens and when it "gets closed or canceled," and requests may be canceled rather than completed.
  2. City of Los Angeles Open Data Portal, MyLA311 Service Request Data 2025, status definitions for closed and canceled requests.
  3. MyLA311, View Service Request, the City's status lookup page.
  4. StreetsLA (Bureau of Street Services), Report Pothole.
  5. Tea For Streets production data: City of Los Angeles cases filed through official 311 channels and tracked to city reported outcomes, including TFS-001246 (city SR C-03947538), as of September 2026.