How to Find Accident Reports in the U.S

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: August 19, 2021 References

If you've been in an accident, you may need the accident report to help process your insurance requests. Accident reports are the responsibility of your local police department, meaning how you get one depends on the department. Typically, though, you can visit in person or mail in a request. Some police departments have their own online system where you can pay a fee to purchase a report. However, some contract out through LexisNexis, so you can find many reports in the U.S. through this database.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:
Visiting in Person

1
Find the fee ahead of time. Look up the fee online or call ahead so you know how much you'll need to pay. Also, make sure they take the form of payment you plan on using so you don't have to come back again another time.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- To find the fee online or who to call, search for your police department's name and "accident reports" to get to the right page.
2
Take your I.D. with you. You will likely need to verify your identity with the police department when you get there. Make sure you have a state-issued I.D. you can use.^{[2]
X
Research source}
- The I.D. must have a picture.
Advertisement
3
Go to the police station during business hours. While the police station is likely open all night, the paperwork side of things will only be open during business hours. Check your station's hours online before visiting.^{[3]
X
Research source}
- The police reports will likely be at the main police station for your city but call ahead or look online to find out for sure.
- If you're not sure where to go once you get in the building, ask at the front desk.
4
Request your report. Provide information about your accident to the clerk at the station. You will need the names of the persons involved, the location of the accident, the date of the accident, and the report number if you have it.^{[4]
X
Research source}
- They may also be able to look up the report by the license plate number or numbers.
5
Pay your fee to get your report. Once the clerk has found your report and checked your I.D., all you need to do is pay them. Then, you'll get a copy of the report to take with you.^{[5]
X
Research source}

Advertisement

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:
Getting a Report by Phone or Mail

1
Find the mailing address online. Only some departments let you get reports by mailing in a request. Once you find the website for your local police station, check to see how you can request an accident report.^{[6]
X
Research source}
- You can search your police department's name and "accident reports" to find the right page.
- The address should be listed on this page. If not, the jurisdiction might not take requests this way.
2
Fill out the appropriate form. If your department allows this type of request, they likely have a form to fill out online. Add the appropriate information, including the date and location of the accident, the names of the people involved, and the report number if you have it.
- Some may require the officer's name and number or your license plate number as well.
3
Mail in the report form with the payment for postal request. Attach a money order or check with the request, based on what the department asks for. Mail it into the address on the form. If the application takes more than 2-3 weeks, call the number for accident reports, found on the form or online.^{[7]
X
Research source}

Advertisement

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:
Obtaining Reports Online

1
Find the website for your police department. Search for "accident reports" and the name of your police department. On that page, you should find a link for getting reports online; some websites may point you to LexisNexis instead.^{[8]
X
Research source}
2
Put in the information for the incident. You'll need the name of the person involved, the date, the location of the accident, and the report number if you have it. Type in as much information as you possibly can and hit "Search."^{[9]
X
Research source}
- The more information you have, the more likely you are to find the report.
3
Select the report. Look at the search results. You should only see 1 if you have all the appropriate information. Otherwise, dig through the hits to find the one you need. Click on it to select it.^{[10]
X
Research source}
4
Pay the fee. The fees vary by state, and they may be more or less online than in person; it just depends. Once you click on the correct report, the appropriate fee should pop for you to pay.^{[11]
X
Research source}
- Pay by credit or debit card.
- Once you pay, you can download the report.
Advertisement

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:
Using LexisNexis

1
Navigate to the LexisNexis accident report search engine. LexisNexis is the largest legal database in the U.S., so you can find accident reports for many police departments across the country. Start by going to the website at https://buycrash.lexisnexisrisk.com/search.
- Many police departments only offer online reports through LexisNexis.^{[12]
  X
  Research source}
2
Choose the state and jurisdiction from the menus. Pick the state first, clicking on it to select it. Then, after waiting a moment for the selections to appear, choose the jurisdiction from the drop-down menu. The jurisdiction is just the police department that covered the accident.^{[13]
X
Research source}
- If you don't see your jurisdiction, LexisNexis may not have information from your area.
3
Put in the name of the person or persons involved. You can add a first name and a last name or just a last name. If you don't have this information, you can skip it. However, the database will require you to fill in a certain number of boxes on the page, so you will need to have all the rest of the information if you don't have this bit.^{[14]
X
Research source}
4
Enter the date of the accident. Click on the small calendar next to the box for the date and then select the date. Make sure you have the right month and year. You can use the arrows at the top of the calendar to change them.^{[15]
X
Research source}
- You can also just type in the address using this format: MM/DD/YYYY.
- Keep in mind that a report often won't show up until 2 weeks after the incident, though it can vary based on where you live.^{[16]
  X
  Research source}
5
Add the street location of the accident. If you have the street address with the number, use that. If you don't, just put in the cross streets for the accident.^{[17]
X
Research source}
- Because the street address can vary with accidents, try the cross streets if you don't get a result with the street address.
6
Type in the report number if you have it. If you were involved with the accident, you can ask the responding police officers for the report number. You can also try calling the police department. However, if you have all the other parts filled in, you likely won't need this part.^{[18]
X
Research source}
7
Click "Search" to see if you get any hits. If you had most of the information, you'll likely just get one hit, which is your report. If you didn't get any hits, try tweaking the information to make sure you have it right.^{[19]
X
Research source}
- For instance, change the street number address to cross streets.
8
Add the result to your cart. This button is next to the search result. Click on it, and it will take you to a page to register as a new customer. Enter your biographical information and then continue to the next page.^{[20]
X
Research source}
- You will need to click on an option stating why you are using the information, such as "insurance," "involved party," "healthcare," etc.
9
Pay the associated fee. The police department will set part of the fee, which you can look up on their website. It can range anywhere from $5 USD to $25 USD, though it may be higher where you live. LexisNexis adds a $10 USD fee on top of the police department's fee. You can pay by debit or credit card.^{[21]
X
Research source}
- Once you pay the fee, you can download your report and print it.
Advertisement