How to get a car accident report in Maryland

Step by step

1. Confirm the investigating agency and wait ~10 days. Determine who worked the crash — Maryland State Police, a Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) officer, or a local city police department / county sheriff. MSP asks that you wait at least 10 days after the crash for the report to be processed and filed.
2. For an MSP crash, complete the request form. Fill out the MSP Motor Vehicle Crash Report Request form (available on mdsp.maryland.gov under Request Police Reports), providing the MDSP report number if you have it, the date and location of the crash, the name(s) of the driver/victim involved, and your full return address.
3. Submit the request and pay the $4.00 fee. Send the completed form with a $4.00 check or money order (payable to Maryland State Police) to the Central Records Division, or email the form to the address listed and mail the $4.00 payment separately; you may also submit the online Google Form or appear in person at the barrack that responded or at Central Records (M–F, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.).
4. For a LOCAL-agency crash, use the agency's channel. If a city PD or county sheriff worked the crash, retrieve the report through LexisNexis BuyCrash (buycrash.lexisnexisrisk.com) or Carfax Crashdocs.org (about $10), or request it directly from that agency's records unit. Baltimore City Police reports from on/after Jan. 1, 2011 are available only via BuyCrash.
5. Receive, review, and use the report. Once you have the report, verify the driver/insurance details, diagram, date/location, and contributing-factor/fault notations are correct, keep a copy for your insurance claim, and ask the investigating agency to correct any factual errors.

State police / highway patrol crashes

Maryland State Police-investigated crash reports come from the MSP Central Records Division (the statewide central repository), not a third-party vendor. Wait ~10 days after the crash, then submit the MSP Motor Vehicle Crash Report Request form with a $4.00 check or money order (payable to Maryland State Police): by mail to Central Records Division, by email (form emailed, payment mailed separately), via the online Google Form on mdsp.maryland.gov, or in person at the barrack that responded or at Central Records (Mon–Fri, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Central Records phone 410-281-2700). MDTA Police crashes (toll facilities, bridges, tunnels) are obtained from the MDTA Police Central Records unit.

Crashes handled by local police or sheriffs

Crashes worked by local Maryland agencies (city police departments, county sheriffs) are NOT in the MSP system. They are obtained either through LexisNexis BuyCrash (buycrash.lexisnexisrisk.com) or Carfax Crashdocs.org — typically about $10 per copy, searchable by report/case number or by the parties' names plus crash date/location — or by requesting directly from that agency's central records unit (usually with photo ID and a per-copy fee). Example: Baltimore City Police reports on/after Jan. 1, 2011 are available online only via BuyCrash; Prince George's County allows in-person, mail, or phone requests to Police Records (~$10) as well as the online vendors. There is no single statewide online portal that covers all local Maryland agencies — routing is agency-by-agency, most riding on BuyCrash or Crashdocs.

Maryland agencies (9)

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

• Anne Arundel County Police Department
• Baltimore City Police Department
• Bowie Police Department
• Carroll County Sheriff'S Office
• Frederick Police Department
• Hyattsville Police Department
• La Plata Police Department
• Prince George'S County Police Department
• St Mary'S County Sheriffs Office

After you get the report

Use the report to open or support your auto-insurance claim — insurers rely on it for the parties, vehicles, insurance details, diagram, and any contributing-factor/fault notations. Review it carefully for errors (misspelled names, wrong insurance or plate info, incorrect date/location, or an inaccurate narrative/diagram) and ask the investigating agency to correct factual mistakes; if fault is disputed, an attorney can use the report and its coding as evidence.