To find your accident report online, go to the website of the law enforcement agency that responded to the crash, or to the third-party portal that agency uses, and search using your report number, the date of the accident, and the names of the drivers involved. Reports usually appear in the system three to ten business days after the collision, and most cost somewhere between five and twenty-five dollars to download.
Start With the Agency That Responded
The right website depends on who worked the scene. If a city police officer or county sheriff’s deputy investigated, start on that department’s site and look for a crash report or traffic collision link. If a state trooper or highway patrol officer responded, go to your state highway patrol or department of public safety site instead.
When the responding agency’s site doesn’t offer a report portal, check your state’s DMV. Several states centralize crash report access through the DMV rather than through individual departments.
Two third-party platforms handle online distribution for a large number of agencies. LexisNexis BuyCrash partners with state traffic safety offices and local law enforcement to let you search for and purchase reports directly. CrashDocs, operated through Carfax for Police, plays a similar role. If your investigating agency uses either service, the department’s website will usually link out to it.
What to Have in Front of You Before You Search
A few pieces of information will keep the search short:
- The report or case number, if the officer handed you a card or receipt at the scene. On BuyCrash and CrashDocs, the report number plus a last name and the crash date is often all a search needs.
- The exact date of the accident.
- The location, in the form of street names, an intersection, or a highway mile marker.
- Full legal names of the drivers involved, as they appear on a license.
If you weren’t given a report number at the scene, call the responding agency’s non-emergency line with the date, location, and your name. They can usually look up the number and read it to you.
Running the Online Request
The steps are similar from one site to the next. Open the crash report section, enter your search criteria, and let the system locate the file. Most portals allow searches by report number, date, location, or driver name. Some require you to create an account or verify your identity before results appear, especially when the report contains personal information about other people involved.
Once your report comes up, you’ll see a summary and an option to purchase. Payment is handled online by credit or debit card. Some systems deliver the report as an immediate PDF download; others email a link within a few hours. If the report is still being processed, the system will say so and often suggest when to check back.
Why Your Report May Not Be Available Yet
Accident reports are not available the same day as the crash. The officer needs time to finish the narrative, draw diagrams, and send the report up for supervisory review. In most jurisdictions, plan on three to ten business days before the report is in the system. Serious injury crashes, multi-vehicle wrecks, and any collision with an open investigation can take considerably longer.
If your insurance company is pressing you for documentation before the full report is ready, ask the responding agency for a preliminary report or an exchange-of-information sheet. Many departments will hand over basic details while the full report is pending.
What It Costs
Fees vary by agency. Some jurisdictions charge four or five dollars; others charge over twenty for a certified copy. Fatal crash reports sometimes carry a higher fee. Third-party portals may add a convenience charge on top of the agency’s base price. Most people pay between five and twenty-five dollars, and the exact amount is shown before you complete the purchase.
If the Agency Doesn’t Offer Online Access
Not every department puts reports online. Smaller agencies in particular still handle requests the older way. You have a few workable alternatives.
- In person. Go to the police department or sheriff’s office that took the report with a photo ID and the report number if you have it. You pay at the window and often walk out with a copy the same visit.
- By mail. Send a written request with the incident details, your contact information, a check or money order for the fee, and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Turnaround runs from a few days to several weeks.
- Through your attorney. If you’re represented, your lawyer can request the report for you and often has an existing relationship with the agency that speeds things up.
- Through your insurance company. Your insurer typically pulls the report as part of the claims process. Call your adjuster and ask before you pay for a copy yourself.
When No Police Report Exists
If police never responded, there may be nothing on file. This is common in minor fender-benders where nobody was hurt and the drivers exchanged information at the roadside. Before you assume no report exists, call the local non-emergency line and ask, since another driver or a witness may have reported the crash after you left.
If no report exists and you need one, most states require a self-report when property damage crosses a set dollar threshold or when anyone was injured. The threshold varies, commonly falling between $500 and $2,500 in property damage. You file with your state’s DMV or department of public safety, either online or on a standardized form. Missing a required filing can bring a license suspension or other penalties, so check your state’s specific rule promptly after any crash the police did not attend.
Read the Report Carefully Once You Have It
Officers write reports quickly, sometimes in poor lighting or chaotic conditions, and errors are common. Check the personal information for every party, including names, addresses, phone numbers, and driver’s license numbers. Verify vehicle make, model, year, color, and plate. Confirm the date, time, and location. Then read the narrative and study the diagram, because those are what insurance adjusters and attorneys lean on most heavily.
Many reports use numerical codes for weather, road surface, lighting, and driver behavior. A key is sometimes printed on the report itself; if not, the issuing agency can tell you what each code means.
Fixing Mistakes in the Report
How you correct an error depends on what kind it is.
Objective factual mistakes, like a wrong license plate, a misspelled name, or the wrong date, are the easier fix. Contact the issuing agency, ask for the officer who wrote the report, and provide documentation showing the correct information such as your license, registration, or insurance card. Most departments will amend the report once the error is clearly verifiable.
Disputed accounts of what happened are harder. Officers generally will not rewrite their narrative or change a fault assessment because you disagree with it. What you can do is ask that your written statement be attached as a supplemental report or addendum, which then becomes part of the official file. Whether to allow it is the department’s call, but most agencies will attach a statement from an involved party. Include any supporting evidence you have, such as dashcam footage, witness statements, or photos.
Who Is Allowed to Access the Report
Federal law limits who can obtain motor vehicle records, including accident reports. The Driver’s Privacy Protection Act restricts state agencies from releasing personal information from these records except for specific approved purposes. The uses most relevant here include government and court use, use in connection with civil or criminal proceedings including investigation before a lawsuit is filed, and use by insurers for claims investigation and underwriting.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 2721 – Prohibition on Release and Use of Certain Personal Information From State Motor Vehicle Records
In practice, you can pull your own report, your insurer can pull it for the claim, and attorneys involved in related litigation can request it. A random member of the public generally cannot pull someone else’s report out of curiosity, though state rules on public access vary. Some states treat the basic facts of a crash as public record while redacting personal details; others restrict access more tightly. If you’re trying to obtain a report for a crash you weren’t involved in, expect to show that your purpose fits one of the federally approved categories.