| Where to request | The EPORTS portal of the Georgia Department of Public Safety, or email to openrecords@gsp.net |
|---|---|
| Fee | $5.00 per crash report, from the department's charging chart |
| How long until it is available | Not published. An emailed request is logged by hand, which may take longer |
| What you need | Not listed on the fee page. Give the details of the crash in the portal or your email |
| Who may request | Not published on the department's fee page |
| In person and phone | The DPS fee page gives neither. It points requests to EPORTS or to email |
| By mail | Payment by check or money order to The Georgia Department of Public Safety, Attention: Open Records Unit, 959 United Avenue SE, Atlanta, Georgia 30316 |
| How payment is taken | Online payment is preferred. Otherwise a check or money order, with your Open Records Request number |
| Photos and video | Photos $5.00 per set by download. Video and dashcam $10.00 by download |
| Larger requests | An estimate first when costs would pass $25. Payment in advance when they would pass $500 |
Who releases State Patrol reports
The Georgia State Patrol is part of the Georgia Department of Public Safety, DPS. DPS handles requests for its crash reports, incident reports and citations under Georgia's Open Records Act, and payments go to its Open Records Unit. The department sets its charges on a page titled Charging Fees for Open Records Requests, which cites O.C.G.A. 50-18-72.
DPS is plain about how it wants to work: "For process efficiency, DPS prefers to communicate, receive requests, and provide available, responsive materials electronically." That makes the online portal the first choice.
The EPORTS portal
EPORTS is the department's online request system. In the department's words, it "allows requestors to seek and receive copies of citations, incident reports, and crash reports by electronic means." With EPORTS you can use a cellphone or a computer to pay the charges for a request.
- Open the EPORTS portalDPS links it from its charging fees page.
- Ask for the crash reportFill in the request with what you know about the crash.
- Pay onlineDPS calls online payment its preferred method. A crash report is $5.00.
- Receive the copyDPS says the portal lets you receive copies by electronic means.
The portal also handles citations, with one perk. The first citation requested through EPORTS is free, and each additional citation costs $1.00, a charge DPS lists as daily.
Asking by email
If the portal does not suit you, DPS takes requests at openrecords@gsp.net. Expect it to be slower. DPS says an emailed request "will be reviewed and logged, and an Open Record Request number will be assigned manually, which may require additional time."
Use one channel only. DPS asks people not to send the same request in more than one format, such as by mail and by email, because each one is answered and each one is charged.
The charging chart
DPS publishes a billing table of approved fees for the records people ask for most. These are the lines that matter after a crash.
| Record | Charge |
|---|---|
| Crash report | $5.00 each |
| Photos | $5.00 per set for download, including any review and redaction |
| Video and dashcam | $10.00 for download |
| Incident report | $2.00 each |
| Citation | First one at no charge through EPORTS, then $1.00 for each additional one (daily) |
| Warnings | $2.00 each |
| Commercial Vehicle Enforcement significant crash report | $1.00 each |
| Jump drive | $5.00 each |
| Shipping by mail | $3.00 per item |
From the DPS charging chart, read on 12 November 2026. Photos and video can also carry the cost of a media device and mailing.
A crash report with its photo set, both by download, comes to $10.00. A jump drive and mailing are only needed if you want the files on a device.
How DPS sets the figures
DPS explains its method on the same page. For each kind of record, it examined the time and salaries involved in searching, retrieving, reviewing, copying, scanning, redacting and producing it, and priced the work at the lowest prorated hourly salary of a full time employee with the skill to do it. The chart deducts the first fifteen minutes of work for each category. Records the chart does not list are priced case by case.
Searches that need a query, such as of mobile forms or emails, are charged at $73.00 an hour. Research time over 60 minutes is charged, and every search includes the first 15 minutes free.
Estimates, invoices and payment
- Over $25: when the reasonably expected cost of the work passes $25, DPS sends an estimate and waits until you agree to pay.
- Two weeks to answer: if you do not agree within two weeks of the estimate, DPS must close the file, and you would have to open a new request later.
- Over $500: you pay in advance.
- After the work: DPS sends an invoice for the actual cost, and refunds any overage or asks for the difference from the estimate.
- When payment is due: under the Open Records Act, a request is complete, and payment is due, when the record is made available, whether you inspected or accepted it or not.
A single crash report at $5.00 is well under the $25 line, so it does not need an estimate.
Paying by mail
Online payment is preferred. Where it is not available, send a check or money order to:
The Georgia Department of Public Safety
Attention: Open Records Unit
REFERENCE ORU# ________________
959 United Avenue SE
Atlanta, Georgia 30316
Write your Open Records Request number in the reference line so the payment is matched to your request.
If a trooper did not work the crash
The State Patrol's portal covers the reports its troopers wrote. For a crash a city officer or a county deputy worked, GDOT says police crash reports are available through BuyCrash, or by mailing a request on GDOT's form. The Georgia page covers those routes and Atlanta police.
When it goes wrong
Your email request has gone quiet
Emailed requests are numbered by hand and may take longer than the portal. Do not send it again by another route, since a second request brings a second charge.
The estimate expired
If two weeks pass without your consent, DPS closes the file. Open a new request for the same records.
You need the video too
Ask for it in the same request. Video and dashcam footage is $10.00 for download, plus a device and mailing only if you want them.
Questions about Georgia State Patrol reports
How do I get a Georgia State Patrol accident report?
Request it from the Georgia Department of Public Safety through its EPORTS portal, which handles citations, incident reports and crash reports electronically and takes payment online. You can also email openrecords@gsp.net, though an emailed request is logged by hand and may take more time.
How much is a Georgia State Patrol crash report?
$5.00 each on the Department of Public Safety's charging chart. Photos are $5.00 per set for download, and video and dashcam footage is $10.00 for download.
Can I get the photos from a Georgia State Patrol crash?
Yes. The charging chart lists photos at $5.00 per set for download, including any review and redaction, plus a media device and mailing if you need them.
Do I need an Open Records Request number?
Only when you pay by check or money order. Write the reference number, the ORU number, with the payment to the Open Records Unit. An emailed request is given its number by hand when it is logged.
Will the State Patrol tell me the cost before charging?
Yes, when the reasonably anticipated costs pass $25. The department then sends an estimate and waits for you to agree, and it closes the file if you do not agree within two weeks.
When do I have to pay for a State Patrol record?
Under the Open Records Act, the department says a request is complete and payment is due when the record is made available, whether you inspect or accept it or not. For estimated costs above $500, you pay in advance.
Is the first State Patrol citation free?
Yes, when it is requested through the EPORTS portal. Each additional citation costs $1.00, a charge DPS lists as daily.
What if a city officer or a deputy came instead of a trooper?
Then the report is not one of the State Patrol's. GDOT says police crash reports are available through BuyCrash, or by mailing GDOT's request form.