Is that right? You may be able to get money to fix damage for potholes

CINCINNATI (WKRC) – Pothole season is here and when you can’t avoid one, you might be facing a big repair bill.

Drivers pay $3 billion a year to fix damage from potholes, according to AAA.

Can you get your money back from your city, county or state for the cost of the damage?

In Cincinnati, potholes are reported and tracked in nearly real time online. You can see where crews are filling the gaping holes and where the potholes need to be fixed.

Each year, hundreds of drivers file pothole damage claims at Cincinnati City Hall, but the vast majority of these claims are rejected with a simple three-word phrase: “no prior knowledge.”

That’s important because whether you live in Ohio, Kentucky or Indiana, the law requires two specific things for you to have a shot at being reimbursed.

First, the pothole must be reported.

And second, there must be a “reasonable time” given for the government to fix it. Although, there is no definition for the number of days considered a “reasonable time” under the law.

Very few drivers meet both criteria, but when they do, they get reimbursed.

For the rest of us – which is just about everyone else – the assumption that you’ll be reimbursed for damage from a pothole is wrong.

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