To get a police report for a car accident, contact the law enforcement agency that responded to the crash and request a copy through their online portal, in person at the records division, or by mail. Fees usually run between $5 and $25, and most routine reports are ready within one to three weeks of the accident.
Figure Out Which Agency Has Your Report
The agency that holds the report is the one that responded to the scene, and that depends on where the crash happened rather than where you live. If the collision was inside city or town limits, the municipal police department wrote it up. Crashes in unincorporated areas outside city boundaries fall to the county sheriff’s office. Accidents on state highways, interstates, and freeways are typically handled by the state police or highway patrol.
If you’re not sure who responded, call the non-emergency line for the local police department in the area where the crash occurred. They can confirm whether they have the report or point you to the right agency.
Information to Have Ready
The records department needs enough detail to locate your specific file. The most useful piece of information is the report number or incident number the officer gave you at the scene. With that, the lookup is nearly instant.
If you don’t have a report number, you’ll need to provide a combination of the following:
- The date of the accident
- The location, including the nearest cross street or highway mile marker
- Names of the drivers involved
- License plate numbers or vehicle identification numbers
Most agencies require at least the date and location. Adding a driver’s name or plate number narrows the search, especially at agencies that handle a high volume of reports. Check any paperwork the officer handed you at the scene. Officers sometimes provide an exchange-of-information sheet that lists the other driver’s details and the responding agency’s contact information, even when it doesn’t include a formal report number.
Three Ways to Request a Copy
Online
Many agencies now post accident reports through their own online portals. Look on the agency’s website for a “Records” or “Accident Reports” link. You enter the accident details, pay the fee with a credit or debit card, and either download the report immediately or receive it by email within a few days.
A growing number of departments also use third-party platforms such as LexisNexis BuyCrash, which aggregates reports from participating agencies into a single searchable system. If the responding agency participates, you can search by report number, driver name, or accident date and buy a copy directly. The agency’s website will typically link to BuyCrash when that’s the designated method.
In Person
Visiting the records division during business hours is the most direct approach when online access isn’t available. Bring a valid photo ID and the accident details. You fill out a short request form, pay the fee, and in many cases walk out with the report the same day. Going in also lets you ask the clerk questions if the report hasn’t been finalized or if you need to flag a correction.
By Mail
If the agency doesn’t offer online access and you can’t visit, send a written request that includes the accident date, location, names of the drivers involved, and your report number if you have one. Enclose a check or money order for the processing fee and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Mail is the slowest option, so add a week or two to the normal processing time.
Who Is Allowed to Request One
Access to accident reports is not unlimited. As a general rule, the people eligible to request a copy include anyone directly involved in the crash, their attorneys, and the insurance companies covering the vehicles. In some states, accident reports are treated as public records and anyone can request a copy. In others, the report is confidential for a set period after filing and only available to qualified parties during that window.
If you’re asking about a crash you weren’t involved in, call the records department first to ask about eligibility. Some agencies will release redacted versions with personal information removed, while others will require a legitimate reason for the request.
How Long It Takes and What It Costs
Don’t expect the report the same day as the accident. The responding officer needs time to write the narrative, finalize the diagram, and submit the completed report to the records department. For a routine fender-bender, that usually takes one to three weeks. Crashes involving injuries, fatalities, or a multi-vehicle pileup can take several weeks or even months because the investigation is more involved.
Fees vary by jurisdiction but generally fall between $5 and $25. Some agencies charge a flat fee per report, others charge per page. Ordering through a third-party platform like BuyCrash may add its own convenience fee on top of the agency’s charge.
If No Police Report Was Filed
Police don’t respond to every accident. If both drivers agreed the damage was minor and nobody called 911, there may be no report on file. You still have options, but the insurance process gets harder.
You can often file a report after the fact by going to the local police department or, in some jurisdictions, completing an online self-reporting form. The sooner the better. A report filed days later won’t carry the same weight as one created at the scene, but it still creates an official record tying the damage to a specific incident. Some agencies won’t take a report once a certain number of days have passed, so don’t wait.
Separately, most states require drivers to report an accident to the DMV when property damage exceeds a set dollar threshold or when anyone was injured. The threshold varies but commonly falls between $500 and $2,500. Failing to file the required DMV report can lead to a license suspension in some states, so check your state’s rules even if the accident felt minor.
You can still file an insurance claim without a police report. Adjusters prefer having one because it provides a neutral third-party account, but it isn’t a prerequisite. Expect the claims process to take longer and involve more back-and-forth when the only evidence is your word against the other driver’s.
Check the Report for Mistakes
Once you have the report, read every line. Errors are more common than you’d think, and small ones can create real headaches with your insurance claim. Check the basics first: spelling of names, addresses, license plate numbers, vehicle descriptions, and the date and location. Then look carefully at the officer’s narrative and the crash diagram. Does the description match your memory? Are the lane positions and directions of travel correct?
Factual errors like a wrong plate number or misspelled name are the easiest to fix. Contact the records division or the reporting officer, explain the mistake, and provide supporting documentation. Most agencies will issue a corrected or supplemental report.
Disputes over the officer’s conclusions are different. If the narrative says you ran a red light and you’re certain it was green, you can’t simply have that changed. The officer’s account reflects their professional judgment based on the evidence they gathered. What you can often do is submit your own written statement to be attached to the report as a supplement. That doesn’t override the officer’s version, but it puts your account into the official file.
Why the Report Matters for Your Insurance Claim
Insurance adjusters treat the police report as one of the strongest pieces of evidence when deciding who was at fault. If the report says the other driver was cited for running a stop sign, that goes a long way toward getting your claim paid. But the report isn’t the final word. The officer’s fault determination is advisory, not legally binding on your insurer.
Insurance companies run their own investigations and can reach different conclusions than the officer. When multiple vehicles were involved, the adjuster might assign a percentage of fault to each driver that doesn’t match the report at all. That is why reviewing the report early matters. Spotting an error or a characterization you disagree with before the adjuster makes a decision gives you a better shot at a fair outcome.
For a personal injury claim, the report also documents injuries observed at the scene, whether an ambulance was called, and whether anyone was transported to the hospital. That contemporaneous medical evidence is hard for the other side to dispute later.
A Note on Using the Report in Court
One boundary worth knowing: the report that feels so authoritative during the insurance process often can’t be used the same way in a lawsuit. In most civil cases, the report itself is considered hearsay because it contains out-of-court statements offered to prove what happened. Police reports sometimes come in under exceptions such as the public records exception, and small claims courts routinely admit them because the rules of evidence are relaxed. Whether a judge allows it depends on the jurisdiction and the circumstances. Even when the report is excluded, the responding officer and any witnesses named in it can be called to testify, and the report itself is a useful tool for challenging a witness whose story on the stand doesn’t match what they said at the scene.