| Where to request | Arizona DPS, Request Records. Online requests go through the DPS Public Services Portal, under Request a Report or Records |
|---|---|
| Fee | $9.00 by email, by fax, or on paper for the first nine pages. $10.00 on a compact disc |
| How long until it is available | Troopers' reports reach the Department Records Unit within 14 days of the incident |
| What you need | For an online request, the full incident number: a capital I followed by 8 digits, with no hyphens |
| Who may request | No one for commercial solicitation. The unredacted report goes to the people named in A.R.S. 28-667 |
| In person | Public Service Center, 2222 West Encanto Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85009. Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, closed on state holidays |
| Phone | Department Records Unit, (602) 223-2230 or (602) 223-2236. Portal support, (602) 223-2999, option 8 |
| How payment is taken | Online only through the portal. In person by credit card, business check or money order. By mail by business check, cashier's check or money order. No personal checks |
| How the report arrives | By email, fax, US mail or compact disc, as you choose |
| If it is not found | Check that troopers worked the crash and not a city or county agency, then call the Department Records Unit once 14 days have passed |
What DPS holds, and what it does not
The Arizona Highway Patrol is part of the Arizona Department of Public Safety, known as DPS. When a state trooper investigates a collision, the report is kept by a DPS office called the Department Records Unit. That unit holds the records for collisions investigated by troopers on an interstate or a state highway.
It does not hold anything written by a city officer, a sheriff's deputy or a town marshal. The department is plain about this. Collisions on town, city or county roads are not retained by DPS, and a request for one has to go to the agency in that jurisdiction. So before you ask DPS for anything, be sure a trooper wrote your report.
The unit also keeps one more kind of record: minor collisions that people reported themselves through the department's Citizen's Report of a Collision tool.
The incident number
Everything at DPS runs on the incident number. For an online request the department sets two rules. The number must be complete, beginning with the capital letter I and followed by 8 digits. And it must contain no hyphens. A number typed with a hyphen, or missing its leading letter, is the most likely reason an online request stalls.
If you do not have the number, the Department Records Unit answers at (602) 223-2230 and (602) 223-2236. It asks callers to wait at least 14 days after the crash, because that is how long a trooper's completed report can take to arrive.
How to request the report
- Wait 14 daysThe Department Records Unit receives completed reports from troopers within 14 days of the incident. A request sent earlier has nothing to match.
- Open the DPS Public Services Portal and create an accountThe portal is the same one the department uses for fingerprint cards and licences. An account is required before you can pay by card.
- Choose Request a Report or RecordsThen pick the collision report and enter the incident number in the form described above.
- Say who you are in relation to the crashThis decides whether you receive the unredacted report. The categories come straight from Arizona law and are listed further down.
- Choose how you want it sent, and payEmail is the usual choice. Fax, paper by US mail and compact disc are also offered.
You can also ask in person at the Public Service Center, 2222 West Encanto Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85009. It is open Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM and closed on state holidays. Requests by mail are accepted too, and a request for a paper copy by mail must come with a stamped envelope addressed to yourself.
Technical trouble with the portal itself goes to (602) 223-2999, option 8. That line supports the website. It cannot tell you whether a report is ready.
What each delivery method costs
| Delivery | Fee | Limit or condition |
|---|---|---|
| $9.00 | Up to 5 MB | |
| Fax | $9.00 | 20 page limit |
| Paper by US mail | $9.00 | Covers the first nine pages. Each added page is $0.10. Send a stamped envelope addressed to yourself |
| Compact disc | $10.00 | Up to 700 MB |
| Printed photo, 8x10 | $4.00 | Each |
| Photo contact sheets | $10.00 | Not stated |
| Photographs on a single DVD | $15.00 | Not stated |
Who gets the full report
Arizona law draws a line between a full report and one with personal details removed. Under A.R.S. 28-667, the agency must give a copy of the unredacted report, on request, to these people:
- A person who is involved in the accident, the owner of a vehicle involved, or a representative of that person or owner
- An insurer of a person or vehicle involved in the accident, and insurers investigating fraudulent claims
- An attorney licensed to practice law, or a licensed private investigator, representing a person involved in the accident
- An insurance support organization that provides services for claims investigation, rating or underwriting
For those people DPS built a faster route. In November 2024 it introduced an automated process for requesters who are entitled to an unredacted collision report. Requests made through the portal by people who fit the list above are generally filled within 48 hours of submission.
Three kinds of report are left out of the automated route: reports that have supplements, reports that have attachments, and reports categorized as fatalities. Those are handled by staff and take longer.
The same statute sets a limit that applies to everyone. An agency "shall not allow a person to examine the accident report" when "the request is for a commercial solicitation purpose", and it may require a requester to state under penalty of perjury that the report is not being examined or copied for that purpose. The law also lets an agency deny an unredacted copy when release would be harmful to a criminal investigation.
How to pay
| How you ask | Accepted | Not accepted |
|---|---|---|
| Online, through the portal | Credit card, once you have an account | Any payment outside the portal. It is the only method that allows online payment |
| In person | Credit card, business check or money order | Personal checks |
| By mail | Business check, cashier's check or money order, made out to Arizona Department of Public Safety | Personal checks and credit cards |
Photos, citations and other trooper records
The Department Records Unit handles more than the report itself. Photographs taken at the scene of a collision can be ordered from it, and so can copies of citations, written warnings and repair orders issued by troopers.
Other records from the same event sit with a different DPS office, the Public Records Unit. That covers 911 calls and radio traffic, body camera and dash camera video, and offense reports. Dispatch and 911 recordings are kept for one calendar year, so ask early if a recording matters. The Public Records Unit asks people not to call about status until at least 30 business days after a request.
When it goes wrong
DPS says it has no report
The usual cause is the road. DPS keeps only what its troopers investigated on interstates and state highways. For a crash on a town, city or county road, ask the city police or the county sheriff.
You have no incident number
Call the Department Records Unit at (602) 223-2230 or (602) 223-2236 with the date, the highway and the names of the drivers. The online form needs the number, so get it first.
The request has been open longer than 48 hours
Check whether the crash involved a death, or whether the trooper added a supplement or an attachment. Those reports are outside the automated release. A report tied to a criminal investigation can also be held back in its unredacted form.
Reading the report
For what the boxes and codes on an Arizona crash report mean, FairSettlement.org has a full guide: how to read an Arizona crash report.
Other Arizona agencies
If a city officer wrote your report, start with the Arizona page, which sets the agencies side by side. Phoenix has its own page: Phoenix police crash reports.
Questions about Arizona Highway Patrol reports
How much is an Arizona Highway Patrol accident report?
The Department of Public Safety charges $9.00 for a collision report sent by email or by fax, and $9.00 for a paper copy by mail for the first nine pages, with $0.10 for each added page. A copy on compact disc is $10.00.
How long does a DPS collision report take?
The Department Records Unit receives completed reports from troopers within 14 days of the incident and asks you to wait at least 14 days before checking. Once the report exists, people entitled to the unredacted copy are generally served within 48 hours of an online request.
What does a DPS incident number look like?
A capital letter I followed by 8 digits, with no hyphens. Online requests must carry the complete number in that form.
Who can get the full Arizona DPS report?
A person involved in the accident, the owner of a vehicle involved, or a representative of either. The law also names their insurers, an attorney or licensed private investigator representing a person involved, and insurance support organizations.
Can I pay DPS for a report online?
Yes, but only through the Public Services Portal, after you create an account. The department says the portal is the only method that allows online payment. Credit cards are otherwise taken in person only.
Does DPS have the report for a crash on a city street?
No. The department keeps reports for collisions its troopers investigated on an interstate or state highway. For a crash on a town, city or county road it tells you to contact the law enforcement agency in that jurisdiction.
Can I get photos from a DPS crash scene?
Yes. Photographs taken at the scene can be ordered from the Department Records Unit. A printed 8x10 photo is $4.00, a contact sheet is $10.00 and photographs on a single DVD are $15.00.
Why was my online request not filled in 48 hours?
The automated release does not cover every report. Reports with supplements or attachments, and reports categorized as fatalities, are not eligible for it and are handled by staff.