How to get a car accident report in District of Columbia

Step by step

1. Confirm you are an eligible First Party. MPD releases the PD-10 traffic crash report only to a First Party: the involved party, or their attorney / attorney staff / investigator. Anyone else (a third party) must instead file a FOIA request with MPD; personal information will be redacted under D.C. Code § 50-1401.01b.
2. Gather your case identifiers. Have ready ONE of: (a) your name plus the date, time, and location of the crash, or (b) the six-digit CCN (Central Complaint Number) the officer assigned at the scene. Also bring valid government-issued photo ID as proof of identity.
3. Choose a request method. Email your request to mpd.public-docs@dc.gov; OR mail it with a self-addressed stamped envelope to MPD Public Documents Section, 441 4th Street NW, Room 550 South, Washington, DC 20001; OR request in person at MPD Headquarters by appointment (schedule by calling 202-671-6705). General assistance: 202-727-4357.
4. Pay the fee (if applicable). The PD-10 is provided at no charge to first-party requestors. Insurance companies requesting for claim purposes pay $3 per report.
5. Submit and allow processing time. In-person and email requests generally take about 2-3 weeks; mail-in requests can take up to 6 weeks from the date the request is made.

State police / highway patrol crashes

The District of Columbia has no state police or highway patrol. MPD is the sole District-wide police agency and is the department that writes the PD-10 traffic crash report, so the 'state police' path is identical to the MPD Public Documents PD-10 request above (first-party only; free; email/mail/in-person by appointment). The DC DMV keeps driver and vehicle records but does not issue the crash report itself.

Crashes handled by local police or sheriffs

The District has no county sheriffs and no separate city police departments — the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) polices essentially the entire District, so all locally-investigated crashes route to the same MPD Public Documents Section PD-10 request (email mpd.public-docs@dc.gov, mail, or in-person by appointment). Exceptions are federal jurisdictions: crashes on National Park Service land (Rock Creek & Potomac Parkway, the National Mall, GW Parkway approaches, etc.) are investigated by the U.S. Park Police — request those from USPP Records at USPP_Records@nps.gov; the U.S. Capitol Police handle crashes on Capitol grounds.

After you get the report

Give the PD-10 to your insurance company to support your claim (insurers can also buy a copy for $3). Read it carefully and check for errors — your name, the other driver's and vehicle/insurance details, the date/time/location, the diagram, and the officer's narrative/fault notes — because the report drives the claim and any liability determination. If something is wrong, contact the reporting officer or the MPD Public Documents Section (202-727-4357) to request a correction.