Anti-Graffiti Program

The City is working to keep neighborhoods clean and attractive through various activities including abatement programs, educational outreach, community involvement and police enforcement.

Services

We will assist residents within City limits by:

providing, free of charge, one of four standardized paint colors for residents to utilize in graffiti removal on their own property
providing custom color matched paint up to one gallon on a one time basis for the property owner to abate their own property
abating graffiti on any City structure located near or around their property or neighborhood
providing anti-graffiti information and referral services. We will abate graffiti on private residences whose owners fail to comply with the City of Sacramento's current anti-graffiti ordinance. These property owners are subject to a service fee and clouded property title.

How to remove graffiti

If you plan to remove graffiti yourself, use the Record - Report - Remove method.

Record -- Photographs help the police identify local graffiti hot spots. Gang-related graffiti is forwarded to the Gang Unit for identification and intelligence purposes. If a trail of photographic evidence can be tied to a vandal who has been caught, it may raise the crime from a misdemeanor to a felony.

Visually record the graffiti using a color camera (film or digital). For every picture you will send to the police, make a duplicate to keep for your personal records. On the back of the photographs, write your name, date, and detailed description of the location of the graffiti and mail it to Sacramento Police Department, Attention Graffiti Unit, 5770 Freeport Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95822. Or attach images to the Online Service Request Tool. Please keep copies of the photographs for your personal record.

Report -- It is critical to report to the appropriate agency. It is also important to have a cross street for the location.

For your property: before removing the graffiti, simply call the Police Department's non-emergency number at (916) 264-5471 to report it as a crime.
For property other than your own: Call the Police Department's non-emergency number at (916) 264-5471 to report the graffiti. Then, refer to the Get Permission First phone list above or 311 (916-264-5011 of you are outside of city limit) to report the graffiti to the appropriate agency. The agency personnel will inform you of the correct procedure to follow.

Remove— Caution! If you choose to remove gang-related graffiti—be aware! Gang members may take offense to your actions. It's best to remove gang graffiti during early daylight hours with a partner. If you feel your safety is at risk, record and report the graffiti, but do not remove it yourself. Call the appropriate agency to have them remove it, see the Get Permission First phone directory above or 311 (916-264-5011 of you are outside of city limit).

Remember! If you use chemicals, follow manufacturer's instructions and wear proper protective equipment. Some removers may damage to some painted surfaces.

Surface	Method of Graffiti	Removal Method
Painted wood or metal	Pens	Denatured alcohol or Lift Off or similar product
Painted wood, concrete or metal	Spray paint	Denatured alcohol or repaint
Traffic signal boxes	Any	Lift Off or similar product
Unpainted concrete, stucco or aggregate	Pens or spray paint	Lift Off or similar product, then water under pressure with a wire brush
Glass or plastic	Pens, spray paint or stickers	Window scraper, then denatured alcohol

You can call 311 24 hours a day to report code enforcement or graffiti violations (from outside the City, 916-264-5011). Please call if you are unable to complete your report submission.