Police FAQs

Here are steps to contest a parking citation: The first request must be made within 21 calendar days of receiving the citation or within 14 calendar days of receiving the delinquent notice. The request must be made for an Initial Review before a request for an Administrative Hearing.  The request for the Administrative Hearing must be made within 21 days of the results from the Initial Review. No money is required to request an Initial Review, but all fees due from the Citation must be paid before an Administrative Hearing date is provided.  Click Here to contest a parking citation.

To report a crime that is an emergency and in progress, dial 911.

For non-emergency crimes, including those that are in progress and those that have already taken place, read our tips here.

Contact Code Enforcement at 707-778-4469, via email ([email protected]) or via their online form (available on the Report Nuisance Code Enforcement page).

You have rights as a victim.  Marsy’s Law assured that.  Learn more.

You will receive an Order of Suspension/Revocation from the officer. If you hold a valid California driver license, the officer will pick it up and send it to DMV. The Order of Suspension/Revocation serves as a temporary license which expires 30 days from its issue date. Then the suspension/revocation action goes into effect.

The temporary license does not allow you to drive if you do not have a valid California driver license or there is another driver license action in effect.

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By law, qualifying victims of crime may receive financial assistance for losses resulting from a crime when these losses cannot be reimbursed by other sources. The State Board of Control (Board), Victims of Crime Program (Program), administers California’s Crime Victim Compensation Program.  Learn More.

For the health and safety of people and the planet,  medications/medicines should not be flushed down the toilet, poured down the sink, or thrown away in the trash. This is true for pills and liquids, whether prescribed or over-the-counter.

Sonoma County has a Safe Medicine Disposal program featuring free drop off or mail back options. For more info, visit www.safemedicinedisposal.org.  Two drop-off locations in the Petaluma area are: Petaluma Police Department, 969 Petaluma Blvd. North; and Central Disposal Site – Household Toxics Facility, 500 Mecham Road, Building 5, (707) 795-2025.

A clearance letter states that you have no criminal history with the Petaluma Police Department. The letter encompasses the previous eight years and applies only to Petaluma Police’s jurisdiction. To request one, contact Police Records by mail or in person. Provide a copy of your valid driver’s license, a written request, and pay a fee of $18. Most requests can be fulfilled within two days, providing the requestor’s record is clear.

First, you must request a tow release in person from the Police Department  and pay a City administrative fee of $168. Next, you must present the release to the tow company and pay its fees. Note: towed cars can only be released to the registered owner–no exceptions.

A solicitors/peddlers permit is required for people who move from location to location in the city, selling their services or goods. This permit is issued by the Police Department and requires a background check and proof of other applicable City licenses and permits.  For info, contact (707) 778-4372.

Download Solicitors Permit (New) here.

Download Solicitors Permit (Renewal) here.

Rules about which animals and pets can be found in Title 9, Section 9.08, of the City’s municipal code. https://www.codepublishing.com/CA/Petaluma/. Please contact North Bay Animal Services, the City’s animal control provider, if you have questions or concerns about animals with the City limits.

You must request a police report in writing online or with the report request form (submitted to the Police Department in person at the Police Department or by mail to Police Department, Attn: Records, 969 Petaluma Blvd. North Petaluma, CA 94952). Traffic collision reports may be requested online.

Reports may not be available if you request them. If the report is approved and available, your request will take between seven and ten working days. complex investigations may require more time to complete the report.

A variety of laws, rules and regulations apply to the release of information. Below is information about who is entitled to a police report and how to request one. Certain reports are not releasable at all; others must be redacted before release. To ensure that we can provide what you need, please call (707) 778-4372 and ask for Records.

You are entitled to a report if you are:

• The individual named in the report requested (driver, passenger, pedestrian, victim);
• The property owner in the report requested;
• The parent/guardian of juvenile party in the report requested;
• An authorized individual in the report requested (signed authorization is required);
• A representative of insurance company or insurance adjusting agency in the report requested;
• The attorney of the individual named in the report requested.

Reports that cannot be released by the Police Department include:

• • • Arrest reports: If you have been arrested – either booked into jail or cited – you are not entitled to receive a copy of the report from the police department. You will receive a copy from the courts or your defense attorney.
    • Reports involving minors: Any report involving a minor (17 years of age or younger) is not releasable to anyone without a court order. This includes the parents and/or reporting parties.
    • Medical reports: Any report consisting of medical information, including 72-hour mental health commitments (5150 reports), are not releasable without a court order to anyone, including the victim.

You can the City of Petaluma’s jurisdiction and Police Department beats on the City’s online map.

When you arrive at the Police Department, there may be a wait to speak with an officer. This is primarily because our officers are throughout the City responding to other calls for service and must be dispatched back to the station. Please make yourself comfortable in the lobby; the front counter staff can assist you with the initial intake of information so the officer will be prepared to speak with you when they arrive.

Go to the State Department of Justice website for a list of fingerprint providers in Sonoma County.

If you are unsure if you should contact the police after a traffic collision, call (707) 778-4372 and the call taker will ask several questions to determine whether a police response is needed.

Some people find it more convenient to submit a police report online rather than in person or over the phone. A main advantage is that online reporting allows you to print the report once the form is complete, which saves you from having to request (and pay for) a copy of the report .

Find out ways to file a police report & access online reporting tool here.

Unauthorized scavaging — or going through somebody else’s trash cans or recycling bins — is prohibited by the City’s municipal code (Section 8.16.340). If unauthorized scavaging becomes a problem in your neighborhood or business district, please contact the Code Enforcement officer for advice.

The City has a noise ordinance as part of its zoning code. As a general rule, the City prohibits excessive noise on weekdays from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. and on weekends/holidays from 10:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m.  For specific details and exceptions, see Chapter 21, Performance Standards, of the City’s Implementing Zoning Ordinance (IZ0).

Please call (707) 778-4372 to report an abandoned vehicle.

Be prepared to provide the color, make/model along with the license plate number. If the vehicle has an out-of-state plate, please include that information.

With some exceptions, the City does not allow abandoned, wrecked, or inoperative vehicles (or their parts) to be stored or to accumulate on private or public property.  The City has the authority to cite owners and have these vehicles/parts removed when necessary. See Chapter 11.64 of the Municipal Code for details.