Can I Get an Accident Report at Any Police Station?

Can I get an accident report at any police station? This is an important question to know the answer to if you ever get into a car accident, and the answer is no. To get a copy of an accident report, you have to go to the station in the jurisdiction where your report was originally filed.

If you’re in a car accident or if your parked car is involved in an accident without you in it, the process of informing the local police of the incident will involve the completion of an official accident report. The official accident report will be made by the responding officer.

If you drove the vehicle before reporting the incident because you didn’t think the damage was sufficient enough to report, you may later determine that you need to report the incident to the police and get an accident report at that time. For example, if you obtain a repair estimate and find the total damage was equal to over $1,000, the incident may need be reported to the police and/or your insurance company to meet reporting requirements.

If you need to make an accident report after the fact, you will have to go to the police station that oversees the jurisdiction where the accident occurred and have an officer from that jurisdiction assist you.

If you’re attempting to obtain a completed accident report from an accident you were involved in so you can use the report for insurance purposes, you will also have to return to the police station that the responding officer works in order to obtain a copy of the accident report from the responding officer. You will not be able to obtain an accident report from a police station in a different jurisdiction, nor will you be able to obtain the accident report from another officer. 

So, now you know where and how to obtain an accident report.