How to get a car accident report in Alabama

Alabama provides state-police crash reports through ALEA Online Services – Purchase Crash Report (Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report). Crashes handled by local police or county sheriffs are requested from the responding agency (listed below).

Official source

ALEA Online Services – Purchase Crash Report (Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report)

Official Alabama crash-report source — $17.00 online ($15.00 report fee + $2.00 processing); $15.00 by mail or in person at an ALEA Driver License Office. State-police crashes; locals request from the responding agency.

Open the official portal→

Source: Alabama — ALEA Online Services – Purchase Crash Report (Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report). Checked 2026-07-24. Details can change — always confirm with the official source.

Step by step

Identify the investigating agency. Determine who worked the crash — an Alabama State Trooper (Alabama Highway Patrol) or a local city police department / county sheriff. Check the information-exchange slip the officer gave you at the scene; the routing is different for each.
Confirm you're an eligible requester. Alabama restricts access under Ala. Code § 32-10-7. You must be a person involved in the crash, the parent/guardian of an involved minor, the legal representative or heir of a deceased involved person, or an insurer (or its written designee) of an involved person. Reports are generally available about 7–10 business days after the crash.
State Trooper crash → use the ALEA portal. Go to ALEA Online Services (alabamadl.alea.gov) and choose 'Purchase Crash Report.' Search by crash report number, driver license number, or driver name plus crash date, then pay $17 ($15 report + $2 processing) and download. Alternatively mail ALEA a completed request with $15 (cashier's/certified check or money order), or request in person at an ALEA Driver License Office for $15.
Local police / sheriff crash → go to that agency. The ALEA portal does NOT carry local-agency reports. Many larger Alabama agencies sell reports online through LexisNexis BuyCrash (policereports.lexisnexis.com) or CrashDocs.org; agencies not on those portals must be requested directly from that department's records unit (online form, in person, or by mail).
Review the report and use it. Once you have the report, verify every fact (date, location, vehicles, driver and insurance info, diagram, contributing-factor/fault codes). Give the report number to your insurance adjuster; if anything is wrong, ask the investigating agency to correct it.

State police / highway patrol crashes

For crashes investigated by an Alabama State Trooper / Alabama Highway Patrol, the report goes to ALEA and is obtained from ALEA directly. Fastest is online: ALEA Online Services at alabamadl.alea.gov → 'Purchase Crash Report,' search by crash report number, driver license number, or driver name + crash date, pay $17 ($15 report fee + $2 processing) and download immediately. You can also mail a completed request form with $15 (cashier's check, certified check, or money order payable to Alabama Law Enforcement Agency — no cash/personal checks) plus a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Crash Reports, P.O. Box 1471, Montgomery, AL 36102-1472; or request in person at any ALEA Driver License Office for $15. Reports are typically available 7–10 business days after the crash. Access is limited to eligible parties per Ala. Code § 32-10-7.

Crashes handled by local police or sheriffs

Crashes worked by LOCAL agencies (city police or county sheriff) are NOT in the ALEA portal — you must go to the investigating agency. Alabama has no single statewide portal for local reports, but many larger agencies sell them online through LexisNexis BuyCrash (policereports.lexisnexis.com) — e.g., Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, Dothan, Florence, Homewood, Pelham, Prattville, Phenix City, Daphne, Albertville, Alexander City, Demopolis — and a few via CrashDocs.org (e.g., Hartselle). Agencies not on those portals must be requested directly from that agency's records unit (online request form, in person, or by mail). Identify the responding agency first (from your scene information-exchange slip), then follow that agency's specific process.

Who can get the report: Alabama crash reports are NOT open public records. Under § 32-10-7 the officer's accident report is released only to interested parties: a person involved in the crash (drivers, passengers, pedestrians); a parent or guardian of an involved minor; the personal representative, executor, or heir of a deceased involved person; and an insurer or its written designee of an involved person. It is also released to news-gathering organizations for news use only, and by subpoena/court order. For the first 30 days after the crash, released personal identifying information is limited to the person's name and age; the complete report is available after that 30-day window, excluding juvenile information and personal information as defined by 18 U.S.C. § 2725. The site must therefore stay process-only — do not imply that anyone can pull anyone else's report.

After you get the report

Use the report to open or support your insurance claim — give the ALEA/agency report (case) number to your adjuster; it documents the parties, vehicles, insurance, diagram, and the officer's contributing-factor/fault notations. Review every field for errors (misspelled names, wrong vehicle/insurance info, incorrect date/location or diagram); if something is wrong, contact the investigating agency (ALEA for trooper reports, the local department for local reports) to request a correction or supplement. The report also supports any injury or property-damage claim and, if needed, a personal-injury attorney's review.