How to get a car accident report in Iowa

Iowa provides state-police crash reports through Iowa State Patrol Crash Reports. Crashes handled by local police or county sheriffs are requested from the responding agency (listed below).

Official source

Iowa State Patrol Crash Reports

Official Iowa crash-report source — Free — no charge to view or print. Reports stay posted for 15 days only; older reports must be requested another way.. State-police crashes; locals request from the responding agency.

Open the official portal→

Source: Iowa — Iowa State Patrol Crash Reports. 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: the Iowa State Patrol (interstates, US/state highways, most rural roads) versus a city police department or county sheriff (city streets and local roads). That decides where the report lives — there is no single statewide online search that shows every agency's report.
For a recent Iowa State Patrol crash, use the free state viewer. Go to accidentreports.iowa.gov ("Iowa State Patrol Crash Reports") and search by date, crash type, and county. You can view and print the report free. Reports are only posted for 15 days after the crash.
For a city PD or county sheriff crash, use Carfax CrashDocs.org. The state portal does not carry local reports. Go to CrashDocs.org (powered by Carfax), select Iowa, then the investigating agency (e.g., Des Moines Police Department, Scott County Sheriff, Bettendorf PD), and search. Local reports typically post about 5–7 business days after the crash; a small per-report fee applies.
For older reports or a statewide/certified copy, use Iowa DOT Form 431007. If the crash is older than the 15-day ISP window, or you need any officer's report the online tools don't show, complete Iowa DOT Form 431007, "Request for Copy of Investigating Officer's Report of an Accident," listing the crash date, time, location, and the drivers' names and license numbers. Mail it with the $4 fee (or bring it in) to the DOT District Office / Bureau of Records with jurisdiction over where the crash happened.
Confirm you are an eligible requester. Under Iowa Code § 321.271 the report is confidential; only a party to the crash, that party's insurer or agent, that party's attorney, or the attorney general may obtain a copy. Be prepared to identify yourself as one of these when requesting.

State police / highway patrol crashes

For an Iowa State Patrol / Highway Patrol crash: view and print it FREE at accidentreports.iowa.gov within 15 days of the crash (search by date, crash type, and county). After 15 days it drops off the site — request it from the Iowa State Patrol District Office with jurisdiction over the crash location, or submit Iowa DOT Form 431007 (\"Request for Copy of Investigating Officer's Report of an Accident\") with the $4 fee, listing the crash date/time/location and drivers' names and license numbers. The Iowa State Patrol (Iowa Department of Public Safety) is the custodian; the Iowa DOT Bureau of Records holds the statewide copy.

Crashes handled by local police or sheriffs

Crashes worked by LOCAL agencies (city police, county sheriff) are NOT on the Iowa State Patrol portal. The primary path is Carfax CrashDocs.org (crashdocs.org) — select Iowa and the specific agency (e.g., Des Moines PD, Scott County Sheriff, Bettendorf PD); reports post ~5–7 business days after the crash for a small fee. Alternatively, request directly from that agency's records unit (some, like Des Moines, only sell in person for fatal/open-investigation cases and refer businesses/bulk buyers to CrashDocs). A statewide fallback also exists because every agency files its officer report with the Iowa DOT: mail or bring Iowa DOT Form 431007 with the $4 fee to the DOT District Office covering the crash location. All routes remain limited to the confidential-access parties under Iowa Code § 321.271.

Who can get the report: Iowa officer crash reports are NOT a general public record. Iowa Code § 321.271 makes the investigating officer's report "for the confidential use of the department," and a copy is released only to a party to the accident, that party's insurance company or agent, that party's attorney, or the attorney general, on written request and a $4 fee (the AG is fee-exempt). Practical release channels exist: the Iowa State Patrol posts its own recent crash reports free to anyone on accidentreports.iowa.gov for 15 days, and Carfax CrashDocs sells local-agency reports to involved parties/insurers. Because the underlying record is statutorily confidential (like WA RCW 46.52.080 / MN 169.09), the site must stay PROCESS-ONLY — explain how an involved party locates and requests their report; never host or resell report contents.

Iowa agencies (10)

Pick the agency that responded to your crash for its exact request process:

After you get the report

Use the report to support your insurance claim — it captures the other driver's identity, insurer, vehicle/plate, the crash diagram, any citations, and the officer's narrative that adjusters and attorneys rely on. Read it carefully for errors: misspelled names, wrong plate/VIN, incorrect insurance details, mistaken direction of travel, or fault/contributing-factor notes. If something is wrong, contact the investigating officer or the agency's records unit and ask them to file a supplement or correction before the claim is settled.