Emergency and essential numbers for Chicago

This guide is for anyone who lives in, works in or is staying a while in Chicago and wants the right number saved before a pipe smells like gas, the lights go out or the car is missing from where it was parked. It is a phone list first, with short notes on when to use each line.

It covers the City of Chicago’s 311 system, the two utilities most city households deal with (ComEd for electricity and Peoples Gas for natural gas), what to do when a car has been towed, the police lines that are not 911, and the mental health lines that work for a crisis and for the slower, harder weeks around one. Every number below was checked against the agency’s or utility’s own website. For city services and neighborhood coverage, see our Chicago page.

City services: 311

311 is the city’s front door for anything that is not an emergency. Chicago’s 311 City Services department answers calls, takes service requests and routes them to the right department. You can stay anonymous, though the department fixing the problem may want to call you back. Every request gets a tracking number; ask the operator for it.

• 311: city services, information and non-emergency police reports, from inside Chicago.
• 312-744-5000: the same 311 center, for callers outside the Chicago area or if a cell phone call to 311 does not connect.
• TTY: 311.
• Text CHICAGO to 311311 (ChiTEXT): a text menu for agency contact information, your ward and police district, towed or relocated vehicles, city alerts and some service requests. Text STOP to cancel. Message and data rates may apply.
• CHI 311 website and free mobile app: file a request with a photo and map pin, and check its status.

The city’s most requested services show what 311 is for: street and alley lights out, garbage carts, rat baiting, tree trims, graffiti, potholes and abandoned vehicles. When you call back about a request, have the service request number (it looks like SR#18-12345678) or the address handy.

911 versus 311

The city draws the line this way. Call 911 when something is happening now and you need an officer, firefighter or ambulance on site: a burglary in progress, an incident with injuries, a fire. Call 311 when the incident is over and the person responsible is gone, or when you need information such as your police district and beat. Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications runs both systems. Its main office line, 312-746-9111, is an administrative number at City Hall, not an emergency line.

• 911: police, fire and medical emergencies.
• 311: everything else the city does.
• Smart911: a safety profile you can set up ahead of time so 911 responders see medical or household details when you call. The city lists it on the OEMC website.

Utilities and outages

ComEd delivers electricity in Chicago and Peoples Gas delivers natural gas to the city. Street lights belong to the city, so they go to 311.

Electricity: ComEd

• 1-800-334-7661 (1-800-EDISON-1): report an outage or a downed power line. ComEd says representatives answer 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The same number handles billing and payment assistance.
• Text OUT to 26633: report an outage by text.
• Online: the outage map and outage reporting are on ComEd’s website and in the ComEd mobile app.

If you see a downed line, ComEd’s instruction is to leave the area first and call second. Treat every wire on the ground as live. A dark street light on a city street is a 311 call, not a ComEd call; ComEd’s own street light page says the utility is not responsible for street lights in the City of Chicago.

Natural gas: Peoples Gas

• 866-556-6002: gas odor or a damaged gas line. Peoples Gas says to leave the area immediately and call from a safe place.
• 911: suspected carbon monoxide. Leave the building, then call.
• 866-556-6001: residential customer service, Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• 866-556-6003: customer service in Spanish, same hours.
• 844-889-3501: business center, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• 866-556-6007: TDD line, Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• 844-216-9121: gas theft hotline.
• 811: call before you dig.

One detail worth knowing: Peoples Gas says that if crews respond to a leak call and nobody is there, they shut the gas off for safety. That means a service call to get it back on, so if you can wait outside at a safe distance, do.

Towed car: where it went

Start by ruling out theft. The city’s Find Your Vehicle search looks up cars towed or relocated by the City of Chicago by plate number or VIN, or by make, location and date. Police tows and relocations show up in real time, and relocated cars are listed separately from towed ones. The search does not cover cars taken by private towing companies from private lots; the city says so on the page. If your car is not listed and was parked on private property, look for the tow company’s sign at the lot entrance.

• 311: ask where the car is and which pound has it.
• Text CHICAGO to 311311 and choose the towed/relocated vehicle option.
• 312-744-4444: Department of Streets and Sanitation contact line listed on the vehicle search site.
• 312-745-6270: Chicago Police Department, for cars held at Auto Pound 1S or Auto Pound 4 (vehicles held for investigation or as evidence).

City auto pounds

The Department of Streets and Sanitation lists these pounds, each open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year:

• Central Auto Pound: 500 E. Wacker Drive, lower level.
• O’Hare Auto Pound: City of Chicago impound lot on Bessie Coleman Drive at O’Hare International Airport.
• Auto Pound 6: 701 N. Sacramento Avenue. Auto Pound 3N (abandoned vehicles) is at the same address.
• Auto Pounds 2 and 3S (abandoned vehicles): 103rd Street and Doty Avenue.
• Auto Pound 1S (police-managed): 103rd Street and Doty Avenue.
• Auto Pound 4 (police-managed): 5555 W. Grand Avenue.

There is no Auto Pound 5. The Central pound is on Lower Wacker, which is easy to drive past, so check the map before you head out. Getting a car back costs money; ask 311 for the current fees rather than trusting an old figure.

Non-emergency police

The Chicago Police Department lists three numbers on its home page: 911 for emergencies, 312-746-6000 as its non-emergency number and 311 for city services and questions. The 311 center can also take many non-emergency police reports. The city’s list of the most common ones includes theft, motor vehicle theft, lost property, telephone threats and harassment, garage burglary and deceptive practices. CPD also takes some reports online through its website.

• 911: a crime in progress, or anyone hurt or in danger.
• 312-746-6000: CPD non-emergency.
• 311: non-emergency police reports, and your police district, beat and next beat meeting.
• 312-745-6270: CPD, about a car held at a police-managed pound.

Cook County Sheriff’s Office

The sheriff is a separate agency. The Cook County Sheriff’s Office runs the county jail and handles civil process, evictions and foreclosures, and it has its own police force. Inside the city, CPD is the police department you call.

• 312-603-6444: general directory.
• 312-603-3365: Court Services Division, for civil process and eviction or foreclosure questions.
• 773-674-5245: information about a person in custody at the Cook County jail.
• 847-635-1188: Sheriff’s Police non-emergency line.
• 708-865-4700: Sheriff’s Police main line.

Mental health and crisis lines

The Chicago Department of Public Health’s advice is short: call or text 988, or call 911, when you or someone you know is in crisis. 988 counselors can send a mobile crisis team to where the person is. 911 is the route the city recommends when someone is at immediate risk of harming themselves or someone else; the health department suggests asking for a Crisis Intervention Trained officer.

• 988: the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. Free, confidential and open 24/7. Text and chat are available in Spanish.
• 988 also reaches the Veterans Crisis Line, for veterans, service members and their families.
• 911: when someone is in immediate danger.
• 833-626-4244 (833-NAMI-CHI): the NAMI Chicago Helpline. Call, or text HELPLINE. Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The NAMI Chicago Helpline is not a crisis line. The staff there help people in Chicago and suburban Cook County find mental health care, support groups and grief or trauma support, and they help families and providers who are looking for resources for someone else.

Other lines on the city’s list

The health department’s mental health crisis resources page also lists these hotlines:

• 800-345-9049: Screening, Assessment and Support Services (SASS), for children and teens under 18 who may need hospital-level care.
• 800-799-7233: National Domestic Violence Hotline, 24/7.
• 833-852-6262: National Maternal Mental Health Hotline, 24/7.
• 800-971-0016: Friendship Line, for adults 60 and older, adults with disabilities and caregivers.
• 866-488-7386: The Trevor Project, for LGBTQ+ young people.
• 877-565-8860: Trans Lifeline.
• 800-604-5841: BlackLine.

The same page lists walk-in alternatives to the emergency room: Living Rooms, a Community Triage Center on the South Side and a Welcoming Center on the North Side, with addresses and phone numbers. The city’s CARE team, which sends health workers to some mental health calls, works weekdays from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in some Chicago communities, according to the health department.

Good to know

Checked September 28, 2026.

• Save 312-744-5000 in your phone now. It reaches 311 from a suburban or out-of-state phone, or when a cell call to 311 will not connect.
• During a storm, ComEd also takes outage reports by text (OUT to 26633) and online, so the phone is not the only way in.
• Winter heating: if the furnace is running and anyone feels dizzy or sick, get outside and call 911. Carbon monoxide has no smell, so the gas-leak line is the wrong call.
• Check the city’s vehicle search before reporting a car stolen.
• NAMI Chicago’s helpline hours are shorter on weekends. At night, 988 is the line to use.

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