Bay County Non-Emergency Numbers and When to Call

The Bay County non-emergency number is (850) 747-4700, which reaches the Bay County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center. That line covers unincorporated Bay County and the municipalities that contract with the Sheriff’s Office, including Callaway and Mexico Beach.¹ If you live inside a city that runs its own police department, you need a different number. Calling the wrong one just means a transfer and a delay.

Non-Emergency Numbers by Jurisdiction

Match the number to where the incident happened, not where you live.

Bay County Sheriff’s Office

(850) 747-4700. Use this for unincorporated Bay County, Callaway, and Mexico Beach.¹

Panama City Police Department

Two numbers. Call (850) 872-3112 when you need an officer to respond. Call (850) 872-3100 for records, general information, or the business office.² If someone broke into your car overnight and you want a report taken, dial 872-3112. For a copy of an existing report, 872-3100.

Panama City Beach Police Department

(850) 233-5000 for non-emergency police matters.³

Lynn Haven Police Department

(850) 265-4111. Lynn Haven operates its own dispatch center.⁴

Springfield Police Department

(850) 872-7545.⁵

Bay County Animal Control

Stray animals, wildlife, and other animal complaints go to Animal Control dispatch at (850) 784-4005, not to the Sheriff’s Office or city police. The shelter’s direct line is (850) 767-3333.⁶

When to Use the Non-Emergency Line Instead of 911

Ask one question: is anyone in danger right now? If no, it’s a non-emergency call. Common examples:

Property crimes discovered after the fact, like a vehicle break-in you find in the morning, mailbox vandalism, or a stolen porch package with no suspect around.
Noise complaints, including loud music and barking dogs.
Minor traffic crashes with no injuries and no vehicles blocking the road. Florida requires a formal crash report when a crash causes injury, involves a DUI, disables a vehicle badly enough to need a tow, or involves a commercial vehicle. If none of those apply, you can still call non-emergency for a short-form report or driver exchange form for your insurer.⁷
Suspicious activity that isn’t an emergency in progress, like an unfamiliar car sitting on your street for days.
Administrative requests: report copies, extra patrol while you’re away, follow-up on an existing case.

Filing a Report Online

For many non-emergency incidents in unincorporated Bay County, you can skip the call entirely. The Sheriff’s Office runs an online reporting system that files immediately without waiting for an officer.⁸ You can use it if the incident happened in unincorporated Bay County, no suspects are present, and you’re at least 18.

Accepted reports include vehicle break-ins, theft, vandalism, shoplifting that’s no longer in progress, identity theft, credit card fraud, harassing phone calls or texts, and scams. The system will not take reports involving firearms, motor vehicle theft, forced entry into a home, domestic violence order violations, or serious injury.⁸ For those, call (850) 747-4700 and have a deputy respond. The online form also can’t be used if you have a suspect to identify. Submissions generate a case number that works the same way as one from a phone or in-person report.

What to Have Ready When You Call

A few details in front of you keep the call short and useful. The dispatcher will ask for:

Location. The exact street address or nearest intersection. If it’s a business, the name.
What happened. A brief description, leading with the type of incident.
When. The date and time, or when you discovered it.
People involved. Approximate height, build, clothing, distinguishing features. Partial descriptions still help.
Vehicles. Make, model, color, plate if you have it, and direction of travel if the vehicle left.

Don’t wait to gather perfect information. A call with a good location and a clear description beats a delayed call every time.

After the Call

Non-emergency calls queue behind active emergencies, so response times vary. A noise complaint on a busy Friday night might sit for a while if officers are on crashes or domestic calls. From there, one of three things usually happens: an officer is dispatched to take a report in person, the dispatcher takes the report by phone and gives you a case number, or you’re directed to the online portal. Keep the case number. It’s what you’ll need for insurance claims, detective follow-ups, or any court proceeding.

Things Police Won’t Handle

Some situations feel like police matters but aren’t. Landlord-tenant disputes are the clearest example. If your landlord changed the locks, shut off utilities, or removed your belongings, those are civil issues resolved through court, not through a police report. Officers responding to these calls typically tell both sides to go to court. The same is true for most contract disputes, custody disagreements where no court order is being violated, and neighbor conflicts over property lines or fences.

A civil standby is one exception worth knowing about, where an officer keeps the peace during a tense situation like retrieving belongings from an ex-partner’s home. Policies vary, and many agencies require a court order or a specific safety concern before approving one. Call the non-emergency line and explain the situation; they’ll tell you whether they can accommodate it.

Penalties for Misusing 911

Calling 911 for something that isn’t an emergency carries real consequences in Florida. Knowingly using 911 for anything other than obtaining public safety assistance is a first-degree misdemeanor.⁹¹⁰¹¹

Penalties escalate when a false call triggers a response that causes harm. Serious injury from the response makes it a third-degree felony. A death makes it a second-degree felony.⁹ Courts also order restitution covering the full cost of the emergency response plus prosecution and investigation costs. After two or more convictions for unauthorized use, any further violation becomes a third-degree felony regardless of whether anyone was harmed. When in doubt about whether your situation is an emergency, call 911 anyway. The penalties apply to knowing misuse, not to honest judgment calls.

1
Bay County Sheriff’s Office. Contact
2
Panama City Police Department. Contact – Get in Touch Today
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Panama City Beach. Contact Us
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City of Lynn Haven. Communications (Dispatch)
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City of Springfield. Police
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City of Callaway. Animal Control
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Florida Senate. Florida Code 316.066 – Written Reports of Crashes
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Bay County Sheriff’s Office. Bay County Sheriff’s Office Online Reporting
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Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 365.172 – Emergency Communications
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The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 775.082 – Sentences of Imprisonment for Misdemeanors
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The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 775.083 – Fines