Lost and Found Property in San Diego

• Wallet, phone, keys or bag. If you cannot return it yourself, call the SDPD non-emergency line, 619-531-2000, and ask how to turn it in, or go to your nearest police station; SDPD says station hours vary, so check before you go. As of November 3, 2026, SDPD's public web pages do not describe a drop-off process for found property, so we do not list one here.
• What SDPD does with it. SDPD's Property and Evidence Unit manual (revised 2019) says found property "is to be held for safekeeping in the Property Room, pending notification of the owner or eventual release to the claimant," and that "Unclaimed found property is to be held for a period of 90 days." Its 2025 Investigative Procedures Manual says: "Investigators must inspect all impounded found property, including found bicycles, to determine ownership," and must search its systems to see whether the property "has been previously reported as lost, stolen, or pawned."
• Found on transit or at the airport. Items left on MTS buses and Trolleys, and in public areas of San Diego International Airport, are handled by those agencies' own lost and found offices; see below.
• A passport. USA.gov gives a mailing address for found U.S. passports; see Lost driver license, ID card or passport.
• A bike or a pet. Found and abandoned bikes are covered in our abandoned bicycles guide. Found pets, lost pets and loose dogs are in our dead and stray animals guide.
• Something that looks like part of a crime. If what you found may be evidence, such as a weapon, call the police rather than carrying it around: 911 in an emergency, otherwise 619-531-2000. SDPD's manual says the Property Room re-categorizes an item from "Found Property" to "Evidence" when the description indicates it is not simply found property.

We could not load the text of the Civil Code from the Legislature's website, so this section relies on how the City and SDPD describe it. SDPD's Property and Evidence Unit manual says: "Civil Code 2080 and sub-sections covers found property." Its summary, as of the 2019 revision:

• Section 2080.1. "If the value of found property is $100 or more, it is to be turned over to law enforcement. Law enforcement is to notify the owner, if their identity is reasonable ascertainable."
• Section 2080.2. "Found property must be available for the owner to claim for 90 days after received by the law enforcement agency."
• Section 2080.3. For property worth $250 or more that no owner claims within 90 days, the agency publishes a notice at least once in a newspaper of general circulation; if no owner proves ownership within seven days after the notice and the finder pays the cost of publication, title vests in the finder. For property worth less than $250, title vests in the finder if no owner appears within 90 days. In both cases, property found by a public agency employee in the course of employment is instead sold at public auction.
• The finder's turn. The manual says that after the 90 days, "a detective can authorize the item(s) for disposal or authorize release to the claimant (person who found the property)," and mails a property release form; if the finder does not claim it within 30 days after the form is mailed, the property is disposed of.
• City code. San Diego Municipal Code section 22.0603 says unclaimed property, "including unclaimed bicycles," is held by the Police Department for at least three months and may then be sold at public auction "under and pursuant to Section 2080.4 of the Civil Code." SDPD's Services page now says SDPD "no longer holds public police auctions" and points to an outside auction company for items for sale.

A City Property and Evidence Unit fact sheet, dated October 30, 2018, is the most recent public description of the pick-up process we found. Call ahead, since details may have changed.

• What to bring. The sheet says: "Owner must provide valid Property Release Form (PD-184)" and "Owner must provide valid picture identification." If the item was impounded as evidence, the owner contacts the assigned investigator or unit for the release form. "No appointment is necessary unless picking up a firearm."
• Picking up for someone else. "To pick up someone else's property, you must have a written notarized authorization signed by the property owner." A parent may claim a minor's property with the minor's birth certificate.
• Deadline. "Failure to claim property by the deadline as indicated in the Property Release Form will result in the property being disposed of according to law."
• Where. The 2018 sheet lists the Property & Evidence Facility at 1400 E Street, San Diego 92101 (mailing address 1401 Broadway), phone 619-531-2866, open Monday to Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and closed Friday through Sunday and major holidays. Firearms go through the Gun Desk, 619-531-2774.

• Ask the facility first. City Administrative Regulation 45.30 (March 2018) covers private property "found by, or turned over to, City employees in City buildings or on City grounds." Each department should assign a designee to receive it; if the owner can be identified, the designee "should reasonably attempt to contact the owner," and otherwise the department "must retain Lost and Found Property for at least 30 days." So if you left something at a City building, such as a library or recreation center, start with that facility. As of November 3, 2026, we did not find separate lost and found pages for City libraries or recreation centers.
• After 30 days. Under AR 45.30, unclaimed items reasonably valued at $100 or more go, with an affidavit, to the Police Department Property Room and are then handled under Municipal Code section 22.0603. Items worth less than $100 may be disposed of by the department, and unsanitary items "may be immediately discarded."
• Not the same as abandoned property. AR 45.30 does not cover abandoned personal property on sidewalks and other public property, which falls under Municipal Code section 54.0212; our abandoned bicycles guide explains that section.

• MTS buses, Trolleys and MTS Access. The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System's Lost and Found page says riders are responsible for their own belongings and should call MTS Information and Trip Planning, (619) 233-3004, for all routes, MTS Access and Trolleys. As of November 3, 2026, it says you have up to 14 days to pick up an item at the MTS Transit Store or at the South Bay/East County contractor, depending on where it was lost.
• After 14 days. MTS says items it values at $100 or more are then transferred to the local police department, which holds them for 90 days before public auction, and items under $100 are donated or disposed of. It may dispose of anything that is a safety, health or sanitary risk at any time.
• San Diego International Airport. The Airport Authority's Lost and Found page says to contact the airline directly for items lost on the plane, at the ticket counter or in checked luggage. The airport's office handles items lost in public areas, including restrooms, TSA security checkpoints, the Terminal Loop shuttle, the Rental Car Center, employee shuttles and airport-operated parking lots; it says items left at TSA checkpoints are turned in within 24 hours.
• Claiming at the airport. Start with the online lost item claim; the airport says a custodian will reach out within 48 hours if a match is found. As of November 3, 2026, it lists the office at 3707 N. Harbor Drive, Suite 109 (Terminal 2, ground level), phone 619-400-2140, with on-site pickup by appointment only, every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; a third party needs email authorization. It says blankets, hats, pillows, water bottles and face masks not inside a bag, food other than alcohol, and dirty items are disposed of right away.

SDPD investigators check impounded found property against reports of lost, stolen or pawned property, so a report helps. As of November 3, 2026, SDPD's File a Police Report page lists these among the crimes that can be reported online: "Lost or stolen property - excluding firearms, passports, or ID cards," theft (not vehicles, license plates or firearms, and not by forced entry to a home or business), theft from a vehicle, identity theft, and fraudulent use of a credit, debit or EBT card.

• Who can file online. SDPD says you must have a valid email address, be 18 or older, and the crime must have occurred within the City of San Diego. Cases with a known suspect, physical evidence requiring impound or testing, physical violence, assault or robbery, lost or stolen passports, residential burglaries and stolen vehicles cannot be filed online. For those, call 619-531-2000 or go to a police station (911 in an emergency).
• What to include. SDPD's checklist starts with the type of crime, the date and time, and the location: "exact street address and nearest cross street." For lost property, describe each item as fully as you can, including any serial number. SDPD says you may attach photos to an online report. SDPD also offers sample narratives of common online reports.
• After you file. SDPD says you get a temporary report number, then a case number once the report is approved, and a copy of the report. If more information is needed you will be contacted by email or phone and have seven days to reply. Check your junk mail if you have no confirmation within a week.
• A stolen wallet or cards. SDPD's Financial Crimes page says identity theft and fraudulent credit card use can be reported online, and advises reviewing card and bank statements regularly for charges you did not authorize.
• Be accurate. SDPD says: "Filing a false police report is a crime!" and cites Penal Code 148.5(a). A car that is missing may have been towed rather than stolen; see our towed or impounded car guide.

• California driver license. The DMV's Replacement Driver's License Request can be used if your license "has been lost, stolen, damaged, mutilated, or had a change of address." You log in to (or create) a MyDMV account and should "Be prepared to pay a fee for your replacement DL."
• ID card or commercial license. The DMV's replacement page says ID cards and commercial driver licenses "are not eligible" for the online request. You complete an application online and then visit a DMV office, where you pay the replacement fee, have your photograph validated and scan your thumbprint. It says the card should arrive "within three to four weeks," and to check Driver's License & ID Card Status if it has not arrived after 60 days.
• U.S. passport. USA.gov says: "If your passport is lost or stolen you must report it to the State Department right away." Report it with Form DS-64 online, by phone at 1-877-487-2778 (TTY 1-888-874-7793), or by mail. "Once you have reported your passport lost or stolen, the State Department invalidates it. You cannot use it if you find it." In the U.S., "you must use Form DS-11 to apply for a new passport in person." SDPD does not take lost or stolen passport reports online.
• Found someone's passport? USA.gov says to mail a U.S. passport found in the U.S. to: U.S. Department of State, Consular Lost and Stolen Passport Unit (CLASP), 44132 Mercure Circle, PO Box 1227, Sterling, VA 20166-1227. Return a foreign passport to the issuing country's embassy or consulate.