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Filing a Claim

Detail from the east wall of the Rotunda in San Francisco City Hall
Detail from the east wall of the Rotunda in San Francisco City Hall
UPDATE: As of December 5, 2022, temporary service rules for the City and County of San Francisco have ended. Find more information here.

How to File a Claim

To file a claim for injury, property damage or loss against the City and County of San Francisco, please fill out a Claim Form as required under California Government Code sections 905 and 915:

Tax Claims

To file a claim for a property tax refund from the City and County of San Francisco, please fill out a Claim for Property Tax Refund form:

To file a claim for refund of real property transfer taxes from the City and County of San Francisco, please fill out a Claim for Real Property Transfer Tax Refund form:

To file a claim for refund of any other taxes or fees imposed by the City and County of San Francisco, please fill out a Claim for Business Tax Refund form:

Instructions

Please be sure to closely follow the instructions for filing a claim. Instructions are included with the downloadable forms referred to above. Failure to closely follow the instructions will delay the processing of your claim. For general information on how a claim is submitted and processed, please continue reading. The original completed Claim Form must be filed in person or by mail with:

Controller’s Office Claims Division 1390 Market Street, 7th Floor San Francisco, CA 94102-5408

Claims for death or injury to persons or damage to personal property must be filed within six months after the accident giving rise to the claim. All other claims (other than certain tax claims) must be filed within one year. Claims for tax refund and supporting documentation must be submitted within the time period mandated by law, which is described on the downloadable forms referred to above. Please allow 45 days for the Claims Division of the City Attorney’s Office to process and investigate your claim. A description of the City’s claims procedures is as follows:

  1. A letter of acknowledgement with your claim number will be sent to you notifying you that your claim has been received. Please use this claim number when inquiring about your claim.
  2. An investigation will be conducted. It is our practice, when possible, to complete our investigation within 45 days of receiving your claim. Again, be sure to follow the instructions for filing a claim on the reverse side of the Claim Form and include all of the requested information, including the names and addresses of all witnesses. Attach a list of additional names if necessary.
  3. You are required to provide written justification of the amount of your claim:
    1. Property damage claims require two estimates and photographs of the damage.
    2. Personal injury claims require complete unaltered copies of all bills from treating physician(s) or other expenses that may have been incurred as a result of an injury. If you contend that you have incurred a wage loss, please provide appropriate supporting documentation with your claim.

Any request for information by the Claims Division of the City Attorney’s Office is not a commitment to pay your claim or an admission of liability. All of the information you submit will be evaluated together with the results of our investigation. The evaluation of your claim may result in several actions, the most common being:

  1. A settlement offer, if all of the information has been submitted; or
  2. A formal denial. If a formal denial letter is sent to you, this means that our evaluation has determined that the City is not a fault and will not pay any money in response to your claim. You are free to write or speak to the Claims Division representative handling your claim. If your claim is denied and you wish to file a lawsuit against the City, you must file your lawsuit within six months from the date your denial letter is placed in the mail; or
  3. Postponement of any action until medical treatment has been completed and bills and/or appropriate wage loss forms and payroll records are submitted. If you do not receive a formal denial of your claim, you have two years from the date of your accident to resolve your claim or file a lawsuit.

You may seek the advice of an attorney at any time during the investigation and evaluation of your claim. Your cooperation in promptly returning the completed Claim Form to the Controller’s Office Claims Division will begin the processing of your claim.