FAQs

Q. Who can I call to find out if my street is public or private?

A. Please contact the Engineering Division's records and technical services staff at (904) 255-8731.

Q. Why won't the city pave my private road?

A. Under current policy, expenditures of maintenance funds is limited to property and facilities that are directly the city's responsibility. The city does not perform maintenance on private property, including roads.

Q. Who do I call to report pot holes, street drainage problems, resurfacing needs, etc.?

A. Items of this nature should be reported to (904) 630-CITY (2489) or may be entered through the 630-CITY website.

Q. Is it possible to install a security gate across a public road?

A. No. The rights of the public to use the road must remain intact. To prohibit such use with a gate is considered a violation of public rights and state law.

Q. I have an unopened right of way adjacent to my property that I would like to have closed. Who do I contact to discuss this matter?

A. Please contact the Real Estate Division at (904) 255-8700.

Q. We would like to change the name of our street. Who do we talk to about this?

A. The Planning and Development Department is responsible for addressing and assigning street names. Click here for more information.

Q. There is a drainage easement and ditch behind my house that needs cleaning. I reported this to 630-CITY and have been told the ditch is a private ditch and the city does not maintain it. How can this be if the ditch is in a dedicated public easement?

A. If the ditch does not carry stormwater from a public street, it is not considered a part of the city's infrastructure system. Many rear yard ditches or swales were designed to drain the abutting private properties and have no impact on street drainage. In these cases maintenance cannot be performed with  public funding.

Q. Why doesn't the city maintain the platted alley behind my house?

A. The majority of the platted or dedicated alleys in Jacksonville became of record in the early 1900s. The original intent of these alleys was to supply the abutting owners with a shared rear yard access or driveway, not a public street. As such they are not considered a part of the maintained municipal infrastructure.