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Report elder or dependent adult abuse in California

Find community Adult Protective Services contacts, reporting options and after-hours referrals.

In California, 58 county departments publish 116 official links for this service. Reviewed requirements cover eligibility (58) and availability notices (58).

Before you start · 4 things to check

For immediate danger, call 911. For suspected abuse of an older or dependent adult in the community, use the county’s APS reporting instructions.
The CDSS statewide line, 1-833-401-0832, routes by your five-digit ZIP code 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Local office and after-hours contacts can differ.
Nursing homes and other long-term care settings have an ombudsman route. Reporting forms and legal duties depend on the reporter and setting; an online form may not be an immediate-response channel.
Santa Barbara’s local phone remains unverified in the captured pages. Use the cited statewide ZIP routing line while checking the official county instructions.

58 guides with reviewed service links · Reviewed local guides

Choose a county on the map

Highlighted counties have a reviewed service guide matching this selection. An agency may serve only a city or part of a county.

California58 counties

County directory Reviewed service guides available

Map for browsing; agency service areas may differ.

Map source

U.S. Census boundaries via U.S. Atlas · 2017 edition, simplified for display.

Shared official instructions

These links and rules are shared by the county guides. Choose a county for its listed locations and full guide.

California APS — statewide routing & reporting forms

Shared California programme guidance. Call 1-833-401-0832 and enter your five-digit ZIP code for the county APS route, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Read the county’s instructions for local reporting options.

Requirements & sources · checked October 15, 2026

Shared CDSS programme description

CDSS describes APS help for adults 60+ and dependent adults 18–59 with disabilities who cannot meet their needs or experience abuse, neglect or exploitation. This is the programme description, not a complete statement of mandated-reporting legal definitions.

Checked October 15, 2026

Official guidance

Each California County has an Adult Protective Services (APS) agency to help elder adults (60 years and older) and dependent adults (18-59 who are disabled), when these adults are unable to meet their own needs, or are victims of abuse, neglect or exploitation. County APS agencies investigate reports of abuse of elders and dependent adults who live in private homes, apartments, hotels, hospitals, or who are, or soon will be, experiencing homelessness.

Shared CDSS referral guidance — facility setting

Abuse in long-term care and the other facilities listed by CDSS has an ombudsman route. Community APS, facility complaints and immediate emergencies have different channels.

Checked October 15, 2026

Official guidance

The OSLTCO, which is administered by the California Department of Aging (CDA) has jurisdiction for investigating reports of abuse that occur in nursing homes, residential care facilities for the elderly, adult residential facilities, intermediate care facilities, adult day health care facilities, and adult day programs.

California Department of Social Services · Adult Protective Services programme and reporting (opens in a new tab)

Adult Protective Services (APS)

Showing 58 guides as a short list. Choose your county or type a city above to see each guide’s instructions, conditions and sources here.

County government · Alameda

Alameda — Adult Protective Services guide

County APS programme context for suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation of older/dependent adults in the community. Use the named report line and its stated hours. Long-term care settings have a separate ombudsman route.