We handle personal injury cases for people hurt in crashes, falls, care facilities and other incidents. This page gathers the Santa Rosa offices those cases involve, each from the official source listed at the end. For county offices that serve every city, see our page on personal injury cases in Sonoma County.

What happens after an injury in Santa Rosa, step by step?

  1. The injury is reported. Inside the city, the Santa Rosa Police Department may take the report; where the CHP responds, its Santa Rosa Area office writes it.
  2. Once the report is ready, it is requested from the Records Bureau or the CHP, with photo ID.
  3. If the City, the County, a school district or SMART may be responsible, a written claim goes to that entity within six months (Government Code 911.2).
  4. The entity has 45 days to act; if it does not, the claim is treated as rejected (Government Code 912.4).
  5. If a lawsuit is needed, it is filed in Sonoma County Superior Court, which handles civil cases at 3055 Cleveland Avenue.

How do I get a Santa Rosa police report?

Reports taken by the Santa Rosa Police Department come from its Records Bureau, 965 Sonoma Avenue, Santa Rosa. The Records Counter is open 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday to Friday, and is closed on weekends and observed holidays. You complete an application for release of information, and it helps to give the case number, or the date, location and names of the people involved. The person requesting the report must show photo ID at pickup, or send a copy of it with a request by mail.

The Department says release of police reports is governed by the California Public Records Act, that reports are usually releasable to victims and certain other involved parties, and that released reports may include redactions. The Records Bureau has 10 days to decide whether copies will be provided, and a Spanish version of the request form is available. To ask about the status of a case, the Department's number is 707-543-3600.

If the CHP handled the crash instead, the report comes from the CHP Santa Rosa Area office, 6100 LaBath Avenue, Rohnert Park, (707) 806-5600. Vehicle Code 20012 sets who may get a crash report; our guide on how to get the crash report in Sonoma County compares the offices.

How do I make an injury claim against the City of Santa Rosa?

The City uses its own "Claim Form for Injury and Damage," updated in 2026. The form asks what happened, why you believe the City is responsible, the injuries and losses, and the names of any City employees involved. It warns that a claim may be returned as insufficient if a section is left blank, and that proof of presentation means a clear postmark on the envelope or a certificate of personal service.

Claims go to the City Clerk's Office, 100 Santa Rosa Avenue, Room 10, Santa Rosa. The office accepts hand delivery from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday to Thursday and from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM every other Friday; questions go to the City's Risk Management office at (707) 543-3024.

For injury or death, the claim is due within six months (Government Code 911.2); a claim filed later must include an application to present a late claim (Government Code 911.4). The City's own answer to street and sidewalk questions is that it is often not liable for negligence, and that in most of those cases it is liable only if the claimant shows liability under the Government Code. A claim against a school district goes to the district, because the City notes that school districts are not part of City government. Our guide on how to file an injury claim against a city, county or the State covers each step.

Which courthouse will my case be in?

Both Sonoma County Superior Court buildings that matter for injury cases are in Santa Rosa. Civil and family law matters stay at the Civil and Family Law Courthouse, 3055 Cleveland Avenue, home of the Civil Clerk's Office and the Civil Self-Help Center; from Highway 101, take the Guerneville Road and Steele Lane exit toward Coddingtown Mall. Since July 20, 2026, traffic and limited civil matters (generally $35,000 or less, Code of Civil Procedure 85) are heard on the first floor of the new Hall of Justice, 625 Administration Drive, where the Jury Assembly Room is also on the first floor.

The steps a case goes through there are in our guide to what to expect at Sonoma County Superior Court in a personal injury case. When a family member has died, our guide to the steps in a wrongful death lawsuit in Sonoma County Superior Court covers what is different.

Where does a workers' compensation case go?

If you were hurt on the job, the state Division of Workers' Compensation has a Santa Rosa district office at 50 D Street, Room 420, 707-576-2391. It houses a Disability Evaluation Unit and an Information and Assistance Unit, holds court sessions from 8:30 AM to noon and 1:30 PM to 5:00 PM, and runs free injured worker workshops by Zoom at 3:00 PM on the first Friday of each month in English and the third Friday in Spanish. Documents can be date-stamped and filed at the front counter in Room 420. A workers' compensation case does not always end the matter when someone other than the employer caused the injury; our construction site injuries page explains claims against other parties.

Which senior-protection and health offices are in Santa Rosa?

The County's Adult Protective Services has its Santa Rosa office at 3725 Westwind Boulevard, first floor; reports go to its 24-hour line, (707) 565-5940, and it takes reports about adults 60 and older and adults 18 to 59 with disabilities. Complaints about a nursing home or other licensed health facility go to the California Department of Public Health's Santa Rosa office, 2170 Northpoint Parkway, (707) 576-6775. If you suspect neglect, read what to do this week about nursing home neglect in Sonoma County.

Deaths that the coroner must investigate are handled by the Sheriff's Office Coroner Bureau at 3336 Chanate Road. For families, our guide on what happens after a fatal crash in Sonoma County explains the coroner's role.

What do state crash numbers show for Santa Rosa?

The California Office of Traffic Safety compares each city with others of similar size. Santa Rosa is in Group B, cities of 100,001 to 250,000 people, with an average population of 177,043 in 2023. These are its 2023 figures and ranks among the 62 cities in that group:

Category (2023)Santa RosaRank of 62
People killed or injured in all crashes49754
People killed or injured in alcohol-involved crashes7534
Motorcyclists killed or injured2645
Pedestrians killed or injured3744
Bicyclists killed or injured2345
Speed-related crashes with deaths or injuries7452
Nighttime crashes with deaths or injuries (9:00 PM to 2:59 AM)3659
Hit-and-run crashes with deaths or injuries3948

A rank of 1 is the highest, or worst, so Santa Rosa sits in the lower half of its group in every category shown. For people hit while walking after dark, our guide on pedestrian crashes at night explains the headlight and speed rules drivers must follow. The counts are still large: 497 people were killed or injured in crashes counted for the city in 2023. The Office of Traffic Safety counts only crashes within city limits and notes that a crash the CHP reports on a road it shares with the city does not count against the city.

How do I get around to these offices?

SMART has three stations that serve Santa Rosa: Santa Rosa Downtown at 7 4th Street, less than a quarter mile from the Santa Rosa Transit Mall served by Santa Rosa CityBus, Golden Gate Transit, Sonoma County Transit and Mendocino Transit; Santa Rosa North at 1500 Guerneville Road, near the Coddingtown Mall transit hub; and the Sonoma County Airport station at 1130 Airport Boulevard. SMART is a public transit district, so a claim for an injury it caused is a claim against a public entity, with the six-month deadline above (Government Code 811.2 and 911.2).

What changes the answer in Santa Rosa?

Which public entity is involved. A claim about a city street goes to the City Clerk, a claim about a county road or county building goes to the County's Clerk of the Board at 575 Administration Drive, Suite 100A, and a claim about a school goes to the school district. Our guide on crashes involving a public vehicle or a dangerous road explains how to tell who is responsible.

Whether you were working. A workers' compensation claim does not affect a claim against someone other than the employer (Labor Code 3852). A delivery driver hit by another car may have both.

Whether the claim is late. A claim presented after six months must come with an application to present a late claim, made within a reasonable time and no later than one year after the injury (Government Code 911.4).

The size of the claim. The City's form asks whether the case would be limited (under $35,000) or unlimited, the same line Code of Civil Procedure 85 draws.

The injured person's age. For a child, the time limit for most claims does not run until age 18, but that pause does not apply to a claim against a public entity (Code of Civil Procedure 352).

What could this look like? An example

For example, imagine a cyclist who hits a deep pothole on a city street in Santa Rosa and breaks a wrist, with no police report made at the scene.

Within six months, the cyclist would complete the City's injury claim form: what happened, why the City is responsible, the injuries and medical costs, and any City employees involved, if known. Delivering it to Room 10 at 100 Santa Rosa Avenue, or mailing it so the postmark is clear, gives proof of when it was presented. If the City rejects the claim in writing, a lawsuit generally must follow within six months (Government Code 945.6). Because the City says its liability for streets depends on the Government Code, photos of the pothole showing its size and place matter. A broken sidewalk works much the same way, as our guide on sidewalk trip and fall claims explains. This example is made up to show the steps and predicts nothing about any real case.

What mistakes do people make with Santa Rosa claims?

  • Sending the claim to a City department instead of the City Clerk's Office that the form names.
  • Leaving a section of the City's form blank, which can get the claim returned as insufficient.
  • Mailing a claim close to the deadline without a clear postmark or other proof of the date.
  • Filing with the City when the road belongs to the County, or the school belongs to a school district.
  • Waiting for a workers' compensation case to end before looking at the claim against the other driver.

What should I do this week?

  1. Write down exactly where it happened, with the cross streets, and who you think owns the road or building.
  2. Get the report number, and request the report from the Records Bureau or the CHP when it is ready.
  3. Photograph the scene and the hazard, with something in the picture that shows its size.
  4. Request your medical records in writing; providers must send copies within 15 days (Health and Safety Code 123110).
  5. Count six months from the injury and put that date on your calendar.
  6. If a relative was hurt in a care facility, call Adult Protective Services or the health department office listed above.

Frequently asked questions about Santa Rosa injury cases

Will my injury trial be at the new Hall of Justice?

Probably not, if it is an unlimited civil case. The court's announcement says civil and family law matters remain at 3055 Cleveland Avenue; the department for traffic and limited civil matters is on the first floor of the Hall of Justice.

Where is the County's claim office?

Claims against the County of Sonoma go by mail or in person to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, 575 Administration Drive, Suite 100A. The County forwards them to Risk Management.

What if I was hurt on a SMART train or at a station?

SMART is a public transit district, so the six-month written claim comes first (Government Code 911.2). A lawsuit cannot be filed until the claim has been acted on or treated as rejected (Government Code 945.4).

Can the workers' comp office in Santa Rosa handle my claim against the driver?

No. The Division of Workers' Compensation office handles workers' compensation cases. A claim against another driver is a separate civil claim, and the comp claim does not affect it (Labor Code 3852).

How long does the police Records Bureau take?

The Department says the Records Bureau has 10 days to decide whether copies will be provided. Reports on serious crashes may also take time to complete.

Is there a Spanish request form for police reports?

Yes. The Department offers its public records request form in Spanish as well as English.

What should I read next?

After a crash, start with what happens in the first 30 days after a car accident in Sonoma County. Nearby cities have their own pages:

  • Rohnert Park, home of the CHP Santa Rosa Area office.
  • Windsor, whose police are Sheriff's Office employees under contract.
  • Healdsburg, with its own police department and a claim form in Spanish.
  • Cotati, where our office is.

If you or a loved one has been injured in Santa Rosa, contact Young Law Group today at (707) 343-0556 or through our contact page to schedule your free consultation and learn how we can help.

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