Filing a Claim Against the County of Sacramento
The County of Sacramento is a self-insured public entity, which operates its claims program in accordance with regulations that are set forth in the Government Code of the State of California. With self-insurance, an organization pays for its losses with its own resources. Since Sacramento County is self-insured, you are strongly urged to read all instructions and make yourself aware of the rules and regulations that apply to submitting a claim against a public entity. If you do not comply with the requirements, your claim may be returned as insufficient; as per California Government Code Section 910.8.
Step 1: Obtain a Claim Form. You can do that in any of the following ways:
- Use this fill-able PDF form
- E-mail your request for a claim form to the Risk Management Office at - dpspropcaus@saccounty.gov
- Call the Risk Management Office at (916) 876-5023 or (916) 876-5022 and ask for a claim form
- Submit your request for a claim form in writing to: Risk Management, P.O. Box 276130, Sacramento, CA 95827
Step 2: Submit your Claim Form (by mail, or in person) to:
County of Sacramento, Clerk - Board of Supervisors
700 H Street, Room 2450
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 874-5411
Here are 
Driving & Parking Directions for the Clerk, Board of Supervisors' office.
NOTE: In most cases you have 6 months from the date of loss to submit your claim. However, since you must comply with the time requirements set forth in Government Code Section 911.2, we recommend that you read those guidelines. A link to the California Government Code can be found near the bottom of this page under the section called Resources.
What happens after I submit my claim to the Clerk, Board of Supervisors?
This is a flowchart that explains what happens to your claim form after you submit it to the Clerk, Board of Supervisors. If you are unable to access the flowchart, which provides an overview of the typical claim process, and is appropriately titled "What happens next?", here is a summary of that content.
After you submit your claim, by mail or in person, to the Clerk, Board of Supervisors, it will be routed to the Department of Personnel Services - Risk Management Office. Risk Management staff will enter the claim information into our claims database, and generate a claim number. A letter acknowledging receipt of your claim will be sent to you, and it will include your claim number. A copy of the claim form is then sent to the relevant County Department.
After the Risk Management Office processes your claim, it's forwarded to the County's third-party liability claims administrator - George Hills Co. The George Hills Co. claims manager reviews each claim and assigns an adjuster to it. The adjuster will determine if the claim is timely and sufficient, as per the Government Code of California. If the claim is deficient in either of those areas, it will be returned to the claimant. For claims that are timely and sufficient, the adjuster will proceed with the investigation.
Based upon information provided by the claimant and the County department, as well as any other relevant parties, the adjuster determines if the County is legally liable for the loss. Notice of the adjuster's decision is sent to the claimant.
Please note that we can't tell you exactly how long it will take to investigate your claim, as each case is different. Some are wrapped up fairly quickly, but others can take 45-60 days to resolve (or longer). To get the current status on your claim, we recommend you stay in communication with your George Hills Co. adjuster.
You are further advised that if the County of Sacramento should enter into any settlement negotiations with you, the County reserves the right to deduct from the settlement, prior to disbursement, any pre-existing fees or assessments that you owe to the County. If you are entitled to a settlement, it can take anywhere from 5 to 10 business days to receive a check from the Department of Finance.
Who is George Hills Co.?
As mentioned above, George Hills Co. is the County of Sacramento's third-party liability claims administrator (TPA). Liability claims submitted to the County are assigned to George Hills Co. adjusters for investigation. George Hills Co. is an authorized agent for the County of Sacramento, and have been serving as the County's liability claims administrator since 1983. Once you have submitted your claim and been issued a claim number, you may call George Hills Co. at (916) 859-4800 with any questions pertaining to your claim.
My car was damaged when it hit a pothole. Can I submit a claim for that?
You may submit a claim for damage caused by a pothole, but please be aware that since January 1, 2000, the County of Sacramento has only settled 9.6% of pothole claims. For more information about the Liability of Public Entities for Dangerous Conditions of Public Property, please refer to California Government Code Section 835.
