How to File a Claim Against LAPD: Patrol Car Crashes, Property Damage and Injuries (Updated November 2026)

By Michael Shemtoub, trial attorney, Beverly Law. Updated November 2026.

Who this page covers

LAPD is a department of the City of Los Angeles, so there is no separate LAPD claim. This page is for people injured or whose property was damaged in a crash with an LAPD patrol car or other police vehicle, during a search or arrest, while in LAPD custody, or in another police-involved incident. A written government claim must be presented before a lawsuit for money damages under state law (Gov. Code 945.4).

The Sheriff’s Department, CHP and school police are other agencies. See which agency do I file with and claims against LA County.

Deadline for a claim against LAPD

The clock starts when the claim “accrues,” which Gov. Code 901 ties to the date the ordinary statute of limitations would start. For most injuries that is the day it happened, though not always. The California Supreme Court has explained that the claim deadline is separate from the statute of limitations and runs from accrual (Shirk v. Vista Unified School Dist. (2007) 42 Cal.4th 201). Count calendar months from the day after the injury to the same date six months later. If the last day lands on a weekend or holiday, do not count on getting extra days. Some California statutes move such deadlines to the next business day, but we found no court decision applying that to government claims. File weeks early.

Pending criminal charges. If you are charged with a crime related to the incident, you cannot sue the officer or the agency over that conduct while the charges are pending in superior court, and the time to sue is paused. That rule expressly “shall not extend the time within which a claim is required to be presented” (Gov. Code 945.3). File the claim within six months even while the criminal case is open.

More: City claim deadline and six months to claim against a city vehicle.

Where and how to file a claim against LAPD

Every claim for money damages against the City, including LAPD, goes to the City Clerk. The City Attorney says “No other city, county or federal entity or office can receive a claim seeking damages from the City of Los Angeles,” including the City Attorney’s own office (City Attorney; LAAC 5.169). Do not hand the claim to a police station.

Sources: City Clerk; File a Claim. Step by step: how to file.

The claim form

Use the City’s “Claim for Damages to Person or Property,” Form Cont. 100-A (Rev. 12/18), online or as a PDF (Spanish PDF). In Section 3, name the Los Angeles Police Department as the responsible department, with officer names, badge numbers, the patrol car number and the report number if known. The form carries a Penal Code 72 warning and a declaration under penalty of perjury. Guide: City claim form.

Whatever form you use, the law requires your name and address, where notices should go, when, where and how it happened, the injury or damage, the employees involved if known, and the amount; over $10,000, leave out the figure and say whether it would be a limited civil case (Gov. Code 910). The claim must be signed by you or by someone on your behalf (Gov. Code 910.2). Starting January 1, 2027, the signer must also declare that, upon information and belief, the contents of the claim are true and correct (AB 2529). Add it even if the form lacks it. A knowingly false claim made with intent to defraud is a crime (Penal Code 72).

Documents to gather

• The traffic collision report or incident report number, and the patrol car number.
• Photos of the vehicles, the scene, your injuries and any damaged property, and any phone or doorbell video.
• Names and contacts of witnesses.
• Medical records and itemized bills, repair estimates, receipts for damaged property, and proof of lost wages.

Getting an LAPD collision report. Drivers, injured people named in the report, vehicle owners and their attorneys can get it (Vehicle Code 20012). LAPD offers reports online through LexisNexis, except when there was an arrest, a death or a juvenile involved, or the report predates Feb. 1, 2016; wait at least 45 days after the collision. By mail, send the request form and a $19.00 check or money order (no cash) to LAPD Records and Identification Division, Document Processing Unit, P.O. Box 30158, Los Angeles, CA 90030. Information line: (213) 486-8130 (LAPD). See also how to get a police report and the documents checklist.

What happens after you file

Once the City receives the claim, the law gives it 45 days to act (Gov. Code 912.4). It can accept the claim, reject it, accept part of it, or offer a compromise. If it does nothing, the claim is treated as rejected on day 45. The 45 days can be extended only by written agreement.

If something required is missing, the entity has 20 days to send a written notice of insufficiency listing the defects, and then must wait 15 days before acting (Gov. Code 910.8). An incomplete claim is not simply thrown out. If no notice is sent, defects in the claim are generally waived, unless the claim gives no address at all.

The Clerk issues a claim number and sends the claim to the City Attorney, which assigns an investigator or adjuster (City Attorney). LAPD’s Risk Management and Legal Affairs Division has a Claims Unit that investigates police-related liability claims and represents the Department in small claims court (LAPD). Settlements are approved by amount: up to $50,000 by the City Attorney, $50,001 to $100,000 in lawsuits by the Claims Board, and pre-lawsuit claims over $50,000 or lawsuits over $100,000 by the City Council, subject to the Mayor’s veto (LAAC 5.173). More: after you file.

A rejection must come in writing with a warning that you have six months from the date the notice was mailed or handed to you to file a lawsuit (Gov. Code 913; Gov. Code 945.6). If no proper written notice is ever sent, the time to sue is generally two years from accrual. You cannot sue before the claim is rejected or deemed rejected (Gov. Code 945.4).

If the City denies your LAPD claim

A rejection letter starts a short clock. You generally have six months from the date the notice was mailed or personally delivered to file suit in superior court (Gov. Code 945.6). The extra days the law gives for some mailed papers do not apply to this deadline (Gov. Code 915.2). The same deadline applies if you sue the employee, and a suit against the employee is generally barred if a suit against the entity is barred (Gov. Code 950.6; Gov. Code 950.2).

The City Attorney says you can ask for reconsideration by sending the adjuster more information (City Attorney), but that does not stop the six-month clock.

A denial is common and is often the start of the real negotiation. What matters is filing suit on time, with the evidence you will need. See what to do when a claim is denied.

Late claims against LAPD

If you missed the six-month deadline, the claim is not automatically dead. The steps are strict:

1. Apply for leave to present a late claim. Send the City Clerk a written application with your proposed claim attached and the reason for the delay, within a reasonable time and never more than one year after the claim accrued (Gov. Code 911.4). This applies to six-month claims only.
2. Wait up to 45 days. The entity must grant or deny the application within 45 days, and silence counts as a denial (Gov. Code 911.6). It must grant the application in listed situations, including mistake or excusable neglect that did not prejudice the entity, an injured person who was a minor, physical or mental incapacity, and death during the claim period.
3. If denied, petition the court within six months. You can ask the superior court for relief within six months after the denial or deemed denial (Gov. Code 946.6; notice wording in Gov. Code 911.8). If the court grants relief, the lawsuit must be filed within 30 days.

If a late claim is filed without an application, the entity can return it within 45 days with a notice. If it sends no such notice, it waives the lateness defense (Gov. Code 911.3). More detail: late claims against the City of Los Angeles.

Typical claims against LAPD

• Patrol car crashes. The City is liable for injuries caused by an employee’s negligent driving on the job (Vehicle Code 17001). An officer driving an emergency vehicle to an emergency call or in immediate pursuit is personally immune from civil damages for a crash (Vehicle Code 17004); that statute speaks only to the employee, so whether the City remains liable depends on the facts. See city vehicle accidents and a city or county vehicle hit me. Our news desk has covered crashes involving LAPD patrol cars on Vernon Avenue and near Exposition Park.
• Hit by a car fleeing police. A police agency is immune from injuries caused by a fleeing suspect’s vehicle if it has a written pursuit policy meeting the statute’s standards, annual pursuit training, and written officer certifications; a judge decides whether it complied (Vehicle Code 17004.7). The immunity does not, by its terms, cover a crash caused by the police car itself.
• Property damaged during a search or arrest.
• Injuries during an arrest or in custody, and other police-involved incidents. A public entity is liable for an employee’s act within the scope of employment if the employee could be sued for it (Gov. Code 815.2). Punitive damages cannot be awarded against the City itself (Gov. Code 818).
• Sexual assault by an officer. A claim arising from an alleged sexual assault by a law enforcement officer is exempt from the claim presentation requirements (Gov. Code 945.9).

Federal civil rights claims. A suit under 42 U.S.C. 1983 for a violation of constitutional rights is different. The U.S. Supreme Court held that a state notice-of-claim statute is preempted when a section 1983 action is brought in state court (Felder v. Casey (1988) 487 U.S. 131). State-law claims from the same incident still need a timely government claim, and federal claims have their own deadlines, so talk to a lawyer early.

The City Controller reported that General Fund liability claims for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025 reached a record $287 million, with $152 million attributed to the Police Department (Controller letter, Jan. 30, 2026). ABC7 reported citywide payouts of about $286.3 million for the same year (ABC7). See how much the City pays.

How to check the status of an LAPD claim

Contact the assigned adjuster, email attclaimsubmit@lacity.org with your full name and claim number in the subject line, or call (213) 978-7040. Send supporting documents to the same email, by fax to (213) 978-7114, through the portal, or by mail to City Attorney Claims Section, 200 N. Main Street, Room 600, City Hall East, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Do not file a duplicate claim (City Attorney). More: claim status.

Related pages

• How to file a claim against the City of Los Angeles
• City vehicle accidents
• City claim deadline
• City claim form
• Late claims
• Claim denied
• Claim status
• A city or county vehicle hit me
• LAPD patrol car crash on Vernon Avenue (news)
• LAPD patrol car crash near Exposition Park (news)
• How to get a police report
• Claims against LA County
• Los Angeles car accident lawyer

Common questions

Important: This page is general information, not legal or medical advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different; talk to a lawyer about yours. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou. Last reviewed: November 6, 2026.