About Civitas Lens

Civitas Lens is a neighborhood map for Baltimore. Residents report conditions — illegal dumping, used needles, a broken streetlight, an unsecured vacant house — and then verify, together, when those conditions are actually fixed. A report is routed toward the people who can act on it, including Baltimore 311, and its timeline stays public until residents confirm the fix.

Conditions get crews. People get help.

This is not a police scanner and not a place to post about people. If someone needs help — shelter, treatment, a crisis line — the right move is a call, not a pin:

  • Emergency: 911
  • Crisis: call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)
  • Baltimore services and shelter: dial 2-1-1 (211 Maryland)
  • City services (potholes, dumping, lights): Baltimore 311

How a report works

  1. You sign in (so reports stay accountable and spam stays out) and pin the condition.
  2. Neighbors can confirm it's still a problem — or mark it resolved when it's fixed.
  3. When a report is linked to a Baltimore 311 request, the city's status shows on the same timeline.
  4. Some fixable cleanups carry a sponsored bounty pledge. When residents verify the cleanup and an admin approves it, the pledge is honored. Bounties never attach to people — only to fixable conditions.

Who runs this

Civitas Lens is an independent community project in Baltimore, Maryland. It is not operated by the City of Baltimore, Baltimore 311, or BGE, and a report here does not replace a 311 request or a 911 call. See our Privacy Policy and Terms for how reports and photos are handled.