Emergencies in Los Angeles

Good to Know

• 911 is the number to remember here regardless of nationality or phone carrier — it works the same way as in the rest of the U.S.
• For anything that isn't life-threatening (noise, minor theft reports, non-urgent police response), use 1-877-ASK-LAPD instead of tying up the 911 line.
• As a visiting nomad without a local mailing address, registering your cell number in NotifyLA is still worth doing — it's geomapped to wherever you're physically staying, and LA is genuinely wildfire- and earthquake-prone.
• Downloading MyShake is a quick, free way to get a few seconds' warning before shaking starts in an earthquake, which can matter given LA's seismic activity.
• 311 is for city services (potholes, graffiti, trash), not emergencies — don't call it if you actually need police, fire, or paramedics.
• Call 911 for any life-threatening emergency — ambulances will route you to the nearest appropriate trauma center automatically; you generally don't get to choose the hospital in a true emergency.
• Los Angeles is huge and sprawling, so 'nearest hospital' depends heavily on which neighborhood you're staying in — Downtown, Westwood, Beverly Grove, and Santa Monica each have their own ER within a short drive.
• US emergency care is expensive even for short ER visits — confirm your travel insurance covers US treatment before you need it, as costs for uninsured patients can run into thousands of dollars.
• Los Angeles General Medical Center (formerly LAC+USC) is the county's public safety-net hospital and will treat patients regardless of ability to pay, though wait times can be long.