Last updated
By Ron McMinn, Esq. | Official sources rechecked November 9, 2026.
Read this article in Español.
The County of Riverside is responsible for County roads in unincorporated areas, County facilities, and County vehicles, including Sheriff’s Department vehicles. If one of them caused your injury, California law usually requires a written claim to the County before a lawsuit. This guide follows the County’s own liability claims page and claim form.
County or another agency?
Streets inside the City of Riverside, Corona, Moreno Valley, and other cities usually belong to those cities, which have their own claim processes. Riverside Transit Agency buses go to that agency, and freeways and State highways generally go to Caltrans (see our Caltrans claim guide). In the San Bernardino Valley, see our guide on claims against Omnitrans.
The six-month deadline
Government Code section 911.2 says a claim for death or for injury to a person or to personal property must be presented no later than six months after the cause of action accrues. Most other claims get one year. Accrual is a legal question, so do not guess at the start date.
The County’s Claim for Damages to Person or Property form repeats these limits: six months for claims for death or injury to a person or personal property, and one year for all other claims.
How to file with the County
According to the County’s Liability Claims page, a claim must be made in writing. No claim form is required, but the County provides one for convenience, available by calling (951) 955-1060. The form must be accurately completed, printed, signed, and mailed or personally presented in hard copy to:
Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, Attention: Claims Division, P.O. Box 1147, 4080 Lemon Street, 1st Floor, Riverside, CA 92502-1147.
The County says electronic and fax filings will not be accepted. Its form says the claim must be signed to be valid and asks for the original completed form plus clear copies of any attachments.
If you do not use the form, the County says the claim must include the elements required by Government Code section 910, or it will send a notice of insufficiency. Government Code section 910 lists what every claim must show: the claimant’s name and address, the address for notices, the date, place, and other circumstances of the incident, a general description of the injury or loss, the name of any public employee who caused it if known, and the amount claimed or, for claims over $10,000, whether it would be a limited civil case.
The County’s form also asks whether police or paramedics were called, for the date and place of first medical treatment, for witnesses, and for damages to date and estimated future damages. The County says personal injury claims should include unaltered copies of bills from treating physicians or other expenses.
Processing and next steps
The County, which says its liability program is self-insured, asks claimants to allow 45 days to process and investigate a claim. It also says a request for information from its adjuster is not a commitment to pay or an admission of liability.
Under Government Code section 945.4, you generally cannot sue the County for money damages until a required claim has been presented and acted on, or deemed rejected. Section 912.4 generally gives the public entity 45 days to act. If it does not act, the claim is deemed rejected on the last day of that period.
After written notice of rejection, Government Code section 945.6 generally gives you six months from the date the notice is personally delivered or mailed to file suit. If no written notice is given, a two-year period from accrual can apply instead.
Missed the six-month window? Government Code section 911.4 allows a written application for leave to present a late claim within a reasonable time, not more than one year after accrual, with the proposed claim attached. Relief is not automatic. See our guide on a missed six-month government claim deadline.
See our Riverside page for more on injury cases in the Inland Empire.
Talk to us
If you were hurt in California and a city, county, transit agency, or the State may be involved, Win Attorneys handles government claims and personal injury matters statewide from our Tustin office. We speak Spanish and Vietnamese.
Call us at (562) 296-5380, reach us through our contact page, or start online with our intake form. Office: 17291 Irvine Blvd., Suite 210, Tustin, CA 92780.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file a claim against the County of Riverside?
Mail or personally present a signed hard copy to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, Attention: Claims Division, P.O. Box 1147, 4080 Lemon Street, 1st Floor, Riverside, CA 92502-1147. The County says electronic and fax filings will not be accepted.
Do I have to use the County’s claim form?
No. The County says no claim form is required, but it provides one for convenience. If you do not use it, your claim must still include everything Government Code section 910 requires, or the County will send a notice of insufficiency.
What is the deadline for an injury claim against Riverside County?
The County’s form warns that claims for death, injury to a person, or injury to personal property must be filed within six months, and all other claims within one year, citing Government Code section 911.2.
How long does the County take to process a claim?
The County asks claimants to allow 45 days to process and investigate a claim, which tracks the 45-day period in Government Code section 912.4.
Is a claim against the County the same as a claim against the City of Riverside or RTA?
No. The City of Riverside, other cities, the Riverside Transit Agency, and Caltrans are separate public entities. A County claim does not protect your deadline against them.