Collection of Debts Owed to The City— Authority of Treasurer
San Diego Municipal Code § 22.1707
in effect§22.1707 Collection of Debts Owed to The City— Authority of Treasurer
(a) Authorization.
Section 45 of the San Diego City Charter authorizes the City Treasurer to demand and receive payment when any person is indebted to the City. The Treasurer is further authorized to charge a referral fee on all delinquent accounts referred for collection; to charge interest on accounts referred for collection; to discontinue collection efforts in cases where the collection costs exceed the amount owed; and to designate certain agents to carry out the Treasurer’s duties.
(b) Referral Fee.
Once a delinquent account has been referred to the City Treasurer for collection, the Treasurer may charge any person indebted to the City a referral fee to cover the costs of collection in the amount set forth in the Composite Rate Book maintained by the Office of the City Clerk.
(c) Interest Charge.
Notwithstanding any other provisions of the San Diego Municipal Code, the City Treasurer is hereby authorized to charge the highest rate of interest allowed by law per year on accounts referred for collection, such interest to commence on the date of referral by an administering department.
(d) Discontinuance of Collection.
The City Treasurer is authorized to discontinue or compromise collection efforts on outstanding accounts when the collection costs will exceed the amount recoverable, or where the Treasurer decides there is no reasonable likelihood of recovery of the amount owed.
(e) Priorities of Penalties.
If any federal, state or local law or any contract provides for exclusive, specific imposition of charges, penalties or interest, such specifications shall prevail over those delineated in this section.
(“Collection of Debts Owed to The City— Authority of Treasurer” added 6–22–1992 by O–17784 N.S.)
(Amended 4-8-2011 by O-20036 N.S.; effective 5-8-2011.)
Source: City of San Diego Office of the City Clerk, San Diego Municipal Code and City Charter (docs.sandiego.gov PDFs)URL: https://docs.sandiego.gov/municode/MuniCodeChapter02/Ch02Art02Division17.pdf#page=3Fetched: 10/28/2026