Trespassing Enforcement

Illegal camping, loitering, and illegal dumping on private property qualify as trespassing. The Citrus Heights Police Department enforces trespassing; below is a description of the enforcement and noticing process: 

DIRECT CHPD ASSISTANCE WITH TRESPASSING A women holds a phone to her ear.

  • Call the Citrus Heights Police Department (CHPD) and ask for an individual to be issued a written trespass warning.
  • If a merchant who calls CHPD to have an officer respond to a trespass issue needs to leave before the officers arrive on the scene, the merchant can ask the dispatcher who takes the call to have the officer contact them at the conclusion of the call to provide the merchant with a disposition of what happened.

PRIVATE SECURITY OPTION WITH TRESPASSING 

  • Property owners and merchants may call their local private security company for trespassing issue assistance
  • Private security can issue the forms to individuals while on duty (Please contact CHPD for trespass forms pursuant to Penal Code 602) 
    • If a security officer is out with a known individual who refuses to sign the written trespass notice, the security officer may write “subject refused” in the signature box and sign their name instead.  
    • Though a written warning is preferred, trespass warnings do not have to be in written format.   A video-recorded or verbal warning will suffice for establishing knowledge before issuing a citation so long as the verbal-only warning is documented in a report.
    • Once a trespass warning form or the above equivalent option has been completed, please forward it to the Citrus Heights Police Department to be uploaded into their records database so officers and dispatchers know individuals who were previously contacted and issued a trespass warning.

ONGOING TRESPASSING 

  • If a known offender who has been issued a written or documented verbal trespass warning is still on your property and you want them cited and removed, call the Citrus Heights Police Department (916) 727-5500 and advise dispatch of the situation.  The police department will respond and issue a written citation for violating Penal Code 602(o) or 602(k) or arrest the individual.

PROSECUTION 

  • The Chronic Nuisance Offender (CNO) program with CHPD tracks repeat offenders.  Once an individual commits five or more municipal code violations, penal code violations, vehicle code violations or health & safety violations over a rolling 12-month period, CHPD consults with the City Attorney.  A wrap-around chronic nuisance offender case will be completed and submitted to the City Attorney or the Sacramento County District Attorney’s office as a criminal complaint seeking more severe criminal charges for offenders who meet these criteria.