FindMyReport

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How to get a car accident report in California

California provides state-police crash reports through CHP Online Crash Report System. Crashes handled by local police or county sheriffs are requested from the responding agency (listed below).

Official source

CHP Online Crash Report System

Official California crash-report source — $22 processing fee per report (credit/debit card). State-police crashes; locals request from the responding agency.

Open the official portal→

Source: California — CHP Online Crash Report System. Checked 2026-07-24. Details can change — always confirm with the official source.

Step by step

  1. Confirm CHP is the investigating agency. The CHP Online Crash Report System only holds crashes CHP investigated — typically on state highways, freeways, and unincorporated county roads. If a city police department or county sheriff worked your crash, request it from that agency instead (see local routing).
  2. Wait for the report to be filed. CHP collision reports are generally available about 7–10 business days after the crash. Requesting before then will return no result.
  3. Register and log in at crashes.chp.ca.gov. Go to https://crashes.chp.ca.gov and create a free account (email + password) or log in if you already have one.
  4. Search for your report and verify eligibility. Search using the collision date, location, and/or CHP report number, then verify your identity and select your role as a Party of Interest (driver, injured party, owner, representative, etc.) — CVC § 20012 limits release to interested parties.
  5. Pay the $22 fee and download the PDF. Pay the $22 processing fee by credit or debit card and download the report PDF instantly. Alternative offline route: complete the CHP 190 form and mail it (or take it in person) to the CHP Area office that investigated the crash, with a copy of your photo ID and the applicable fee.

State police / highway patrol crashes

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is California's state police for traffic; there is no separate 'state police' agency for crash reports. Get a CHP-investigated report either (1) online at https://crashes.chp.ca.gov — register, search by date/location/report number, verify Party-of-Interest eligibility, pay the $22 fee, and download the PDF; or (2) by submitting the CHP 190 'Application for Release of Information' form (free at chp.ca.gov) by mail or in person to the specific CHP Area office that investigated the crash, with a copy of your photo ID and the fee (about $10 and up depending on report length). Reports are typically ready ~7–10 business days after the collision.

Crashes handled by local police or sheriffs

There is NO single statewide portal for locally handled crashes — the CHP portal only serves CHP-investigated collisions. For a crash worked by a California city police department or county sheriff, request the report directly from that specific agency. Many agencies deliver online through third-party vendors — most commonly LexisNexis BuyCrash / crashdocs.org (roughly $10–$15 per PDF) — while others use their own online records portal (e.g. NextRequest) or take requests by mail or in person. Release is still restricted to interested parties under CVC § 20012, so you must show you are a driver, injured party, owner, insurer, or attorney/representative. Identify the investigating agency (named on the exchange-of-information slip or by the crash location) and follow that agency's request page.

California counties (43)

Pick the county where your crash happened for every local agency and its exact request process:

Plus 5 statewide or specialty agencies: Bakersfield Pd, California State University Fullerton Police De, Inglewood Police Department Ca, Los Angeles Police Department - Lapd, Los Gatos Monte Sereno Police Department.

After you get the report

Use the report to open and support your insurance claim — give the report or its number to your insurer and the other parties' insurers. Separately, California requires drivers to file DMV form SR-1 within 10 days of any crash involving injury, death, or property damage over $1,000. Read the report carefully and check for errors — misspelled names, wrong vehicle/plate/insurance info, incorrect location or diagram, or a mistaken fault/violation code — and ask the investigating CHP officer or agency to correct or amend factual errors, since insurers and any injury claim will rely on it.