Although some street damage may look like a pothole at first, not all roadway defects are potholes.

See below for how a  pothole typically forms, and how its repaired

Roadway defects that are not potholes may be another type of problem, and require different (and sometimes more difficult) repairs to fix. See other street damage problems below:

Street Maintenance Division provides a wide range of maintenance functions, which include:

• Small asphalt repairs ("potholes")
• Large repairs
• After-hours emergency service

Small Asphalt Repairs (Pothole Repairs)

There are twenty-four emergency response Small Asphalt Repair (SAR) crews citywide. Each crew works within an assigned district but may be assigned to assist other divisions. Although over 200,000 requests for pothole repair are received annually, not all are potholes. The Bureau's goal is to repair every pothole within the next business day. However, during inclement weather the response time may be impacted. SAR crews will also make asphalt repairs to sidewalk offsets caused by tree roots, slot maintenance holes after they are readjusted following resurfacing operations, and respond to emergencies as they occur.

Large Asphalt Repairs

Large Asphalt Repair staff repair streets after water main breaks. When permanent water main repairs are completed by the Department of Water and Power, staff will repair the affected roadway.

Emergency Response

All divisions within the Street Maintenance Division respond to emergencies that occur Citywide, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Depending upon the nature of the event, crews may be required to work all night or weekends. Management and Supervisory personnel within the section will staff the City's Emergency Operations Center as well as the Bureau of Street Services Emergency Operations Center, 24 hours per day, until the emergency situation is over.