The City of Novato follows Government Code Section 50050, et.seq., which provides that unclaimed monies for items in excess of $15, which remain in the treasury or in the custody of the officers of a local agency for 3 years, become the property of the agency. At the end of the 3-year period, those items in excess of $15 must be published as notification that the money will become property of the agency after a designated date if it is left unclaimed. Items under $15 need not be published and become the property of the agency after 1 year.

Escheatment to the general fund occurs if a verified claim is not filed by the designated date, forty-five days after the date of the first publication in the Marin Independent Journal. After this date, money left unclaimed will become the property of the City and can no longer be claimed.

The City of Novato has a duty to release funds to the rightful payee. In this regard, we ask payees to provide documentation to validate their claim, and submit a claim form to the Finance Department.

Submission of a claim for payment requires a claim form, back up documentation substantiating the claim, and a W9 for payment processing. These documents may be attached below, submitted to finance@novato.org or mailed to:

City of Novato
Attn: Finance Department
922 Machin Avenue
Novato, CA 94945