Last year, the City of Toronto paid out over $500K in pothole claims. Here’s how you can file a claim for your vehicle.

In 2025, the City of Toronto paid out more than $500,000 to drivers whose cars were damaged by potholes.

According to the city’s annual Claim and Disclosure Report, Toronto drivers made 2,272 pothole claims last year. The city paid out 709 of those claims, averaging $726 per claim, totalling to $514,734.

Of the 2,272 claims, 787 were denied and an undisclosed number are still under investigation. The city writes that pothole claims are denied when they “have not demonstrated the City’s gross negligence or disregard for its maintenance obligations.”

In 2024, 1,515 claims were made, with the city paying out 832 claims to the tune of $695 each, on average. However, neither year makes a dent compared to 2023, where the city paid out 2,384 claims of $711 each, totalling $1,644,317.

How to file a pothole claim

Has your vehicle been damaged by a Toronto pothole recently? Here’s how to file a repair claim.

Residents must file a repair claim within 10 days of hitting a pothole through the Claim Submission Web Form. 

After submitting a claim, the City of Toronto’s insurance adjusters will investigate and determine if “the City is responsible for your loss.” 

The investigation involves checking if “regular inspection and repair standards were upheld in accordance with the Minimum Maintenance Standards for Highways in the City of Toronto”

The city typically resolves pothole claims within 90 days, but due to the record snowfall Torontonians experienced this winter, “the 90-day target undertaken for resolution of all property damage claims may not be achieved.” 

Just a few weeks ago at the end of March, the city performed a 24-hour pothole repair blitz in response to increased reports from residents, fixing 7,204 potholes.

So far in 2026, 82,205 have been repaired.