How to Get New York to Pay for Pothole Damage

If you hit a pothole and you end up with a costly bill, you could end up with help paying for it. It might be a little bit of a battle, but it would be worth it.

First you'll need to find out who maintains that particular road. If it’s a village or a town, it’s most likely a state road. In the case of Highways, they are maintained by the State Department of Transportation, or the New York State Thruway. Cities in New York take care of their own roads.

If a city had been notified about a pothole and did nothing, they could be held liable. On a state road, the most money you can get for repairs is $5,000. You can attempt to get some or all of that via the state Department of Transportation or the Thruway Authority which have forms drivers can fill out (below).

Along with the forms, claimants are prompted to file a police report, submit pictures of the damage and incident, as well as send statements from mechanics. Here is all of the contact information according to LoHud:

• Rockland County asks motorists to tweet the location of potholes to @rocklandgov
• If on a state road get a claim form at: dot.ny.gov/divisions/legal-services-division/smallclaims
• If you had damage on the Thruway click: on.ny.gov/1wm5uTH, you can also send the Thruway form via email to claimsunit@thruway.ny.gov  or fax to 518-471-4340.