NYC 311 Reporter#

Automates NYC 311 complaint filing using Playwright for browser automation.

Workflow#

Step 1: Read User Complaint#

Extract from natural language:

• Location — Where is the issue?
• Description — What is happening?
• Vehicle/Details — Car make, model, color, plate if available
• Duration — How long has it been there?
• Photos — Does the user have photos?

Step 2: Scrape Categories#

Run the browser script to explore available complaint categories:

bash

python3 scripts/browse_311.py scrape

Step 3: Find the Right Form#

For fire hydrant complaints:

bash

python3 scripts/browse_311.py find

Step 4: Fill and Submit#

Run with your complaint details:

Dry run (preview only):

bash

python3 scripts/browse_311.py submit \
  --location "726 DeKalb Avenue, Brooklyn, NY" \
  --vehicle "Gray Nissan Micra" \
  --duration "10 hours" \
  --name "Ricardo Díaz" \
  --email "ricardo@example.com" \
  --phone "+19299990000"

Actual submission:

bash

python3 scripts/browse_311.py submit \
  --location "726 DeKalb Avenue, Brooklyn, NY" \
  --vehicle "Gray Nissan Micra" \
  --duration "10 hours" \
  --name "Ricardo Díaz" \
  --email "ricardo@example.com" \
  --phone "+19299990000" \
  --submit

User Profile#

Store user information in assets/config.json:

json

{
  "name": "Ricardo Díaz",
  "phone": "+19299990000",
  "email": "ricardo@example.com",
  "home_address": "726 DeKalb Avenue",
  "work_address": "726 DeKalb Avenue",
  "apartment": "1E",
  "preferred_contact": "email",
  "notify_updates": true
}

Scripts#

• scripts/browse_311.py — Main automation script:

  • scrape — List all complaint categories
  • find — Find the fire hydrant/parking form
  • submit — Fill and optionally submit the form

Installation#

bash

pip install -r requirements.txt
playwright install chromium

Notes#

• Screenshots are saved to /tmp/ for review
• The script handles JavaScript-heavy pages
• Run without --submit first to verify the form fills correctly
• If 311 portal has technical issues, the script will report errors